SANTA CLARA, Calif. – West Coast Conference play opened for Santa Clara softball with a split against LMU at home Saturday afternoon.

The Broncos (4-11, 1-1 WCC) fell to the Lions (13-17, 1-1 WCC) in the opener 4-1 but came back with a 5-3 victory.

GAME 1
After a pitcher's duel through 5 innings that saw the score tied at 1-all, LMU came up with a three-run sixth to get some breathing room. The big hit was a two-out, two-run double by Madalie Gomez.

Megan Dedrick and Peyton Angulo both went 2-for-3 with a run scored. Dedrick added an RBI and Angulo had a double. Alyssa Daniell also had an RBI.

Despite the first 10 Broncos being retired in order by Marina Vitalich, Santa Clara struck first in the fourth with back-to-back hits. Allyson Ferreira singled to center and Emma Bickford followed with a double off the top of the wall that missed a home run by inches.

Ashley Trierweiler and Sarah Ellersick added hits for the Broncos as well.

Vitalich (7-7) was dealing for the Lions. She went the distance, allowing a run on four hits with a walk and 12 strikeouts.

Lauren Anderson (1-3) started for Santa Clara and got the loss in the complete game. She allowed four runs on eight hits with a walk and a strikeout.

GAME 2
The Broncos took advantage of four LMU errors with all five of their runs being unearned.

Two errors on the same play in the first got the Broncos on the board and in the second a dropped throw to first for the would-be third out allowed two more to come across the plate. Another unearned run scored on a sac fly following an error in the fifth.

Five runs almost wasn't enough as the Lions scored once in the seventh and loaded the bases to put the go-ahead run on base but Liyah Lopez got out of the jam to earn her first collegiate win.

Lopez (1-1) went the distance and allowed three runs, two earned, on 10 hits with two walks and a strikeout.

The Santa Clara offense was led by Trierweiler who had two hits and scored two runs. Ferreira and Kenzie Yamakoshi both added two hits as well with a run scored each.

LMU got three hits from Dedrick and two, including a double, from Taylor Keinath with three different players driving in a run.

Alessandra Samperio (3-5) started and took the loss. She went 4 innings allowing four runs, all unearned, on six hits.

UP NEXT
The two teams wrap-up their series tomorrow at noon.

Unfortunately, due to a recent spike in COVID-19 cases with the campus community we are still not able to allow fans into the facility at this time. The priority continues to be the health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches and staff so the university will continue to evaluate campus policies. While the state of California announced guidance for outdoor seated venues on April 1, the university reserves the right to be more cautious than public health guidance.

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