PHOENIX - Santa Clara softball picked up wins against Long Island and Idaho State in the second day of the Grand Canyon University Purple Classic on Saturday.  The Broncos (4-5) defeated LIU 5-2 in the first game and took down Idaho State 11-2 in the second game. 

GAME 1: Santa Clara 5 - Long Island 2
Freshman pitcher Sage Hager had a strong outing for the second-straight day, tossing four scoreless innings and was backed by some early runs in Santa Clara's 5-2 win over Long Island in the morning contest.

The freshman hurler who threw a complete game victory on Friday night against GCU started in the circle for the Broncos (3-5).  Before she even got on the field, Santa Clara put up three runs in the top half off first.

Leadoff batter Ashley Trierweiler got things started for the Broncos drawing a four-pitch walk from Sharks starter Elena Valenzuela.  The next batter, Allyson Ferreira, doubled to put runners in scoring position where Emma Bickford drove in both with a single up the middle.  Bickford moved over to third on a sacrifice bunt by Sammy Needham before coming home on Ella Romero's RBI single.

Hager took to the circle with a 3-0 lead and held the Sharks to just two hits over four innings before giving way to Regan Dias in the fifth.  Hager (2-0) earned her second win in as many days.

The Broncos added a run in the fourth and the fifth on RBI singles by Bailey McLaughlin and Morgan Salmon to push the lead out to 5-0.

LIU (1-8) scored in the fifth when Camryn Lyman singled in a run and in the seventh off a wild pitch, both coming off Dias.

Bickford went 2-for-4 with two RBIs.  Lyman was the only other player with multiple hits also going 2-for-4.

Valenzuela (1-3) took the loss after giving up the three runs in the opening inning.  Alyssa O'Donnell pitched the rest of the game for LIU.

GAME 2: Santa Clara 11 - Idaho State 2
Santa Clara offense put up 11 runs on 11 hits to cruise to an 11-2 win over Idaho State in the second game of the day.

The two batters atop the lineup, Ashley Trierweiler and Allyson Ferreira combined to go 6-for-8 with six RBIs.

Hannah Edwards (2-2) tossed six frames, scattering seven hits, one run, a walk and a pair of strikeouts to earn the win.

A scoreless game through the first three innings, Morgan Salmon put the Broncos on board in the fourth when she doubled in a run followed by Ella Romero's RBI bunt against Idaho State (2-6) starter Emma Montoya to give the Broncos a 2-0 lead.

Santa Clara (4-5) broke the game open in the fifth when they scored four runs on four hits and a walk that included a solo home run by Ferreira.  Trierweiler and Sammy Needham also singled in runs.

Meanwhile Edwards pitched a steady game allowing just three hits through the first four frames.  Piper Tago had a solo shot in the fifth but that was the only blemish in the game for the redshirt freshman.

The Broncos put the game out of reach for good in the seven when Trierweiler had a bases clearing double to make it, 11-1.

Montoya (0-2) was the losing pitcher after giving up three runs on five hits and a walk over 4 1/3 innings. 

NEXT UP

The Broncos face Cal State Fullerton on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. PT to close out the GCU Purple Classic.     

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