SANTA CLARA, Calif. (Feb. 24, 2023) – The UC Santa Softball team (5-4) are competing in another tournament this weekend as they made the trip North for the Silicon Valley Classic. On the first day of competition, the Gauchos faced Sacramento State and Santa Clara, dropping both games to these teams. 

GAME 1: GAUCHOS VS HORNETS
UC Santa Barbara came out strong in the first inning of play against Sacramento State. Despite the Hornets scoring the first run of the game, the Gauchos put up two runs with Madelyn McNally and Makayla Newsom making it across home plate, putting them up 2-1 in the first inning. Once the next three innings hit, Sacramento State put up six runs with the Gauchos not making any, giving them the 6-1 lead heading into the sixth inning.

This is when the Gauchos kicked things into gear. UC Santa Barbara came back to put up four runs in just two innings, putting them within one of the Hornets. However, this wasn't enough for the Gauchos to grab the win, dropping this first game of the day with a close score of 7-6.

Six different Gauchos scored the runs in today's game with Malaya Johnson recording a team-high two RBI's when she came in to pinch hit. Along with all of that, McNally hit a triple in the first inning of the game to put herself in scoring position. For pitching, Ilona Sullivan came in during the fourth inning, registering a .81 ERA during her time on the mound while striking out four batters. 

GAME 2: GAUCHOS VS BRONCOS
The Gauchos went back on the field for the second game against the co-host, Santa Clara. The Broncos' bats were hot as they put up two runs right off the bat. UC Santa Barbara responded back right away with two runs of their own in the second inning from Daryn Siegel and Chloe Stewart. By the time the third inning ended, each team added on one more run each, tying the score at three apiece.

These two teams went without runs for two innings before Santa Clara hit three runs in both the fifth and sixth innings, giving the home team the advantage heading into the top of the seventh. The Gauchos added one run to the board at that time, but it wasn't enough to give them the advantage, resulting in the 9-4 loss for the Gauchos.

Siegel led the Gauchos in this game, securing two of the team's four runs thanks to her two doubles, while Stewart and Sam Denehy each contributed one. To top it off, Stewart led the team in RBIs with two while Ashley Donaldson and Denehy each added on one.  

UP NEXT
The Gauchos will be back on the field in Santa Clara tomorrow as they take on Northern Colorado and Santa Clara. First pitch for Northern Colorado will be at 10:30 a.m. with the Santa Clara game scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.