CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Santa Clara University softball team captured a pair of program firsts, winning the West Coast Conference Championship and securing an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament, with a 15-4 run-rule victory over Oregon State in Saturday's series finale.  The win coupled with Saint Mary's loss to LMU in their first game of the doubleheader clinched a share of the WCC championship for the Broncos.

Santa Clara started the day a half game behind Saint Mary's in the conference standings needing help from LMU to once again regain control of their own destiny after losing it on Friday.  Things looked bleak at first as Saint Mary's led LMU 5-1 heading to the bottom of the sixth but the Lions put up eight runs in the frame to win 9-6, just as the first inning got underway in Santa Clara's game.  The loss by the Gaels opened the door for Santa Clara that they took advantage of in emphatic fashion.

Saint Mary's won the second game to finish with an identical 11-4 record in the WCC as Santa Clara to get a share of the WCC championship but the Broncos earned the conference's automatic qualification to the NCAA Tournament with a 2-1 record against Saint Mary's in their head-to-head series this season.

The Broncos will find out their NCAA Tournament destination at the NCAA softball selection show which will air on Sunday, May 11 at 4 p.m. PT on ESPN2.  

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Santa Clara (32-20, 11-4 WCC) seemed to sense the moment when Saint Mary's lost as they scored early and often to lead wire-to-wire en route to a 15-4 run-rule win in five innings.  The offense erupted for 14 hits with every hitter getting at least one hit, led by Rebecca Rubio and Taryn Clements with three apiece.  Rubio also drove in four runs, as did Robynn Balmediano.  
• Balmediano got the ball rolling in the opening inning with a two out, bases clearing double to put the Broncos up 3-0.  They added three more in the second on Rubio's two RBI single and a double by Clements to knock out Oregon State starter Ellie Garcia.  
• Madison Weir and Jaeya Butler homered in the third to get Oregon State (24-23, 7-8 WCC) to within three runs, 6-3.  However, the Bronco offense kicked into the next gear with two runs in the fourth on Hazyl Gray's home run and put the game out of reach with seven more in the fifth.  
• The seven-run fifth inning was the result of five SCU hits and three Oregon State errors.  Rubio and Alley each brought home two runs in the inning.   
• Cari Ferguson came in relief after starter Hannah Edwards gave up the two home runs in the third.  Ferguson threw the final 2 1/3 innings to pick up the win.  
• Santa Clara closed out the regular season with program records in overall wins (32), WCC victories (11) and WCC series wins (all five).
• This is the first ever NCAA Tournament berth in the 46 years of the program and the first WCC Championship ever.  The WCC started to sponsor softball in 2014.  
• It is SCU's second conference championship after winning the Pacific Coast Softball Conference in 2004 but they did not play in the NCAA Tournament that season.       

NEXT UP:

• The NCAA softball selection show airs Sunday, May 11 at 4 p.m. PT on ESPN2.          

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