SAN BRUNO, Calif. – Cari Ferguson was named West Coast Conference Softball Pitcher of the Week, the fourth Santa Clara pitcher to receive the recognition this season.  

The true freshman pitched 11 1/3 scoreless innings, including a two-hit, nine inning shutout against Saint Mary's and helped the Broncos take the series two games to one.  

In last Friday's series opener, Ferguson and Odhi Vasquez were in a pitchers' duel as neither hurler allowed a run through the first eight innings.  Santa Clara scored three runs in the top of the ninth to break the scoreless deadlock and Ferguson went the full distance throwing 118 pitches.  She allowed just a pair of hits, struck out four, walked four and fielded her position cleanly on five total chances in the 3-0 win.  It was her third shutout in the last four appearances. 

Ferguson started in the circle in the rubber match on Saturday tossing 2 1/3 scoreless innings before being lifted in a game the Broncos would win 11-5.

Over the series, she scattered four hits, struck out eight, walked five and held the Gaels batters to a .114 batting average with a 0.79 WHIP.  

The Long Beach, California native, has been lights out in the last five games, spanning 31 innings.  She has allowed just one run to lower her league leading ERA to 1.96

It is the first WCC Pitcher of the Week honor for Ferguson and follows Hazyl Gray (on Feb. 10), Hannah Edwards (March 17) and Avery Seva (March 31) who have been recognized this spring.  Additionally, Cairah Curran (Feb. 10, March 31) and Abbey Charpentier (Feb. 17) were honored as WCC Players of the Week earlier.        

Santa Clara is coming off their third straight WCC series win, the first time they have accomplished that feat in a single season, to sit atop the WCC standings at 7-2 ahead of LMU at 5-3.

The Broncos next play Cal on Tuesday and San José State on Wednesday in a pair of midweek nonconference home games and get a bye week in WCC competition this weekend.