MORAGA, Calif. – The Pacific softball team earned a West Coast Conference doubleheader split Saturday afternoon, defeating Saint Mary's, 5-1, in the nightcap after falling 2-1 in the first game at Cottrell Field.
Saint Mary's 2, Pacific 1
In a game highlighted by dominant pitching, the Tigers (12-33, 2-8) jumped ahead early, taking the lead after the first inning of play. Emily Budelli led off the game with a single to left field, her 42nd base hit of the season, and wasted no time getting into scoring position as she recorded her 11th stolen base in 15 attempts shortly after. With one out on the board, Budelli tallied the game's first run as she advanced to third on a Rian Dirmeyer single and scored on a fielding error from left fielder Marissa Nishihara to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead.
The Gaels (15-27, 3-8) recorded two runs in the bottom half of the third inning to take the lead and solidified the win by keeping the Tigers off the board for the remainder of the game.
Hannah Glad earned the start in the circle for the Tigers, the first time in her career she has started back-to-back contests. Despite being the pitcher of record, Glad put together one of her best performances of the season. The freshman from Camarillo, Calif., pitched five solid innings, her second-longest outing this season, allowing two runs on five hits while tying her season-high with three strikeouts.
Pacific 5, Saint Mary's 1
Amiyah Aponte shined in the circle for the Tigers in the nightcap as she recorded her team-leading fourth complete game of the season. After giving up the game's first run in the first inning, Aponte shut down the Gaels for the remainder of the game. The sophomore from Riverside, Calif., threw six scoreless innings to close out the game and allowed only three more baserunners during that span.
Multiple players contributed to the Tigers' best offensive performance of the season as the team recorded 16 hits, the most in a single game this season. Dirmeyer, Delaney Scully, and Kyla Eck led the team with three hits apiece, while Hammer and Emma Dazell tallied two hits apiece.
In the three-run fifth inning, the Tigers pulled away and solidified the win as the team used RBI hits from Hammer, Scully, and Dazell to take a 4-1 lead. Carly Lucchetti led off the inning with a double off the left-field fence. Lucchetti quickly made her way around the basepath and gave the Tigers a 2-1 lead on an RBI single off the bat of Hammer. Hammer scored as Scully followed with her team-leading 10th double of the season, a shot to left-center field. Dazell powered the first extra-base hit of her career and picked up her first RBI of the season as Scully tallied the Tigers' fourth run.
"I was happy we were able to come back in the second game after a tough loss," Head Coach Brian Kolze stated after earning the doubleheader split. "We were finally able to string some hits together at multiple times, and our pitching and defense were outstanding today."
Pacific returns to action on Sunday, May 1, as the Tigers take on Saint Mary's to close out the season's final West Coast Conference road series. The first pitch at Cottrell Field is scheduled for noon.
