SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The UC Santa Barbara Softball team (10-8) earned a split against Saint Mary's (7-8) to open up their nine-game home stand. After being held off the board in the first game, the Gauchos came alive at the end of the second game to walk off the Gaels, 8-7 off the bat of Jazzy Santos.

GAME ONE: GAUCHOS 0, GAELS 5
In the first inning, Alexa Sams recorded a single to right field, providing an early baserunner. However, a double play ended the inning, leaving the score tied at 0-0. Moving into the second inning, Saint Mary's capitalized on their offensive opportunities, scoring four runs on five hits. The Gauchos' Delaina Ma'ae drew a walk in the bottom of the second inning but was left stranded as the inning concluded without a run.

In the third inning, UC Santa Barbara's defense held Saint Mary's scoreless despite the visitors' two hits, maintaining the 4-0 score. During the Gauchos' turn at bat, the team was unable to capitalize on offensive efforts, as the inning ended without scoring.

In the final inning, the Gauchos' were unable to get their offense rolling despite putting balls in play as SMC recorded three outs to close the game.

GAME TWO: GAUCHOS 8, GAELS 7
In the first inning, the Gauchos responded to Saint Mary's early two-run lead with two runs themselves. After Ma'ae advanced to third on a passed ball, Ainsley Waddell's single was followed by Alexa Sams reaching on an error, allowing Ma'ae to score. Bella Fuentes then hit a single, driving in Waddell and tying the game at 2-2.

The game remained tight as the Gaels added two more runs in the second inning, taking a 4-2 lead, while UC Santa Barbara was unable to score. It wasn't until the sixth inning that the Gauchos closed the gap. Sams singled, and Fuentes hit a double to put runners in scoring position. Emily Carr's sacrifice fly and Giselle Mejia's double drove in two runs, as the Gauchos pulled within three. Another sac fly by Kaylin Garcia in the inning brought the score to 7-5 in favor of Saint Mary's.

In the seventh inning, with Santa Barbara trailing by two, UC Santa Barbara capitalized on a fielding error by Saint Mary's. Carr doubled to bring in the winning run to the plate. Mejia's single scored Carr, tying the game at seven. Jazzy Santos capped the game off with a single, driving in Mejia for and securing an 8-7 victory for the Gauchos.

UP NEXT
The Gauchos will be back in action tomorrow at 2:15 p.m. as they take on the Creighton Blue Jays at 2:15 p.m. For those unable to attend in person the game will be broadcast through ESPN+ with live stats available.