MORAGA, Calif. – Santa Clara softball split the doubleheader against Saint Mary's on Saturday to take the West Coast Conference series and maintain atop the league standings.  SCU is 7-2 in conference play, ahead of second place LMU who stands at 5-3 after losing to Pacific earlier in the day.  In third place sits Saint Mary's and Oregon State, both at 3-3 having played two series thus far compared to three for Santa Clara.  

Game 1: Saint Mary's 1 - Santa Clara 0

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Sam Buckley hit a solo home run in the first and Mia Nishikawa threw a three-hit shutout to help Saint Mary's (20-21, 3-2 WCC) win the first game of the doubleheader 1-0 to even the series at 1-all.
• Buckley led off the bottom of the first depositing a 3-2 offering from Hannah Edwards just over the left field fence for her 12th home run of the season and that was the only run needed by Nishikawa.  The Gaels hurler threw an economical 92 pitch shutout giving up a hit in the first, fourth and seventh.  In each of those innings along with the sixth, the Broncos put a runner in scoring position but every time Nishikawa pitched out of it.  It was the first time the Broncos have been shutout all season.  
• Meanwhile, Edwards was solid in her own right.  She struck out a career-high 10 batters over six innings and allowed six hits, two of which were against Buckley.  
• For Santa Clara (26-16, 6-2 WCC), Hope Alley, Taryn Clements and Hazyl Gray had a hit.  Curran was held hitless to snap her 16-game hitting streak.  

Game 2: Santa Clara 11 - Saint Mary's 5

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Hope Alley drove in a season-high five runs, three of them coming on a home run, while the pitching trio of Cari Ferguson, Hazyl Gray and Hannah Edwards did not allow an earned run in Santa Clara's 11-5 victory to take the rubber match.  
• After getting stifled offensively in the first game of the doubleheader, Santa Clara (27-16, 7-2 WCC) came out swinging, putting up six runs in the first two frames showcasing their offensive versatility. 
• The Broncos played small ball in the first when Cairah Curran led off the game with a single, stole second, moved to third on Rebecca Rubio's sacrifice bunt before coming home on Hope Alley's squeeze bunt.  Those three hitters in the top of the lineup accounted for nine RBIs and five runs.  
• In the second, Santa Clara powered in five runs on five hits.  Abigail Charpentier doubled home Kyla Acres and came into score on Rubio's single to make it 3-0.  Alley doubled up the score with a three-run round tripper, part of a 2-for-3 day for the graduate transfer from Cal.    
• Ferguson started in the circle for the Broncos tossing 2 1/3 scoreless innings coming off Friday's two-hit shutout performance over nine innings.  She allowed two runners on before Gray came in relief.  The Bronco lefty uncorked a wild pitch that put the runners in scoring position but retired the next two batters to preserve the lead at 6-0. 
• SCU struck for four more runs in the sixth.  Cairah Curran brought in two runs on a triple while Rubio and Alley each had an RBI single to push the lead out to 10-0.  
• Saint Mary's (20-22, 3-3 WCC) battled back in the bottom of the sixth pushing across five runs, all unearned, aided by three Broncos errors.  Mia Zabat had a single to score two runs. 
• Caitlyn Golob recorded a game-high three hits, part of a 13-hit attack.

NEXT UP:

• Santa Clara hosts Cal in a midweek game on Tuesday at the SCU Softball Stadium.  Click here for tickets.       

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