Cal Poly Softball picked up a series sweep of Saint Mary’s in their first home games since 2019 on March 6-7 inside Bob Janssen Field.
The Mustangs (4-2) were powered by freshman pitcher Bailey Doherty toward their sweep against the Gaels (6-9) . The right hander pitched in all three games combining for 21 strikeouts and just two earned runs over 12 innings. The offense also came through for Cal Poly, as they either matched or exceeded their previous season high in runs in each game of the series.
Game One
Doherty tossed a complete game three-hitter over six innings to help the Mustangs to a 9-1 victory in Saturday’s first game. The win brought Cal Poly to .500 on the season to that point (2-2).
Doherty (2-1) struck out two Saint Mary’s batters in the first inning, her first of 10 strikeouts on the day. Junior third baseman Maddie Amos opened the scoring with a RBI groundout in the bottom of the first, putting Cal Poly up 1-0.
The Mustangs added three more runs in the bottom of the second, as sophomore second baseman Juju Sargent knocked in a two-run single and later came in to score on a RBI single by senior designated player Shelby Jeffries. Meanwhile, Doherty struck out the side in the second inning and added two more in the third, retiring the first 10 Gaels batters she faced.
Cal Poly added four more runs in the third inning as Saint Mary’s pitcher Marissa Woolsey threw three bases-loaded walks, putting the Mustangs up 8-1.
Doherty pitched three scoreless innings after the third and added some run support in the bottom of the sixth with a RBI single to end the matchup.
Game Two
Despite a more narrow game, the Mustangs picked up the second win of the series 6-4 in Saturday’s second match.
Senior first baseman Hailey Martin singled home Jeffries in the bottom of the first to open the scoring. On the mound, Jeffries held the Gaels hitless over the first three innings.
Cal Poly tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the third inning, beginning with a RBI single by senior center fielder Noellah Ramos. Martin picked up two more RBIs with a two-run single to right field to put the Mustangs up 4-0.
Saint Mary’s got two runs back in the top of the fourth inning, but Cal Poly restored their four-run lead with two runs in the bottom of the fourth. Saint Mary’s made the score 6-4 in the fifth with a RBI single and a two-out home run.
Doherty entered the game in relief and pitched two scoreless frames in the sixth and seventh innings to pick up her first career save.
Cal Poly took their Saturday doubleheader sweep into Sunday, looking to take all three games in the series.
Game Three
The Mustang offense looked lively again in Sunday’s 11-2 win over the Gaels, as Martin picked up three more RBI en route to the series sweep.
Doherty (3-1) started and pitched four innings, totaling seven strikeouts and one earned run. Junior pitcher Krystyna Allman added two scoreless innings in the fifth and sixth and allowed only one hit.
Saint Mary’s grabbed a 1-0 lead in the third inning with a RBI single by shortstop Jayda Alaan. The Mustangs responded with four runs in the bottom half of the inning, with Doherty drawing a five-pitch walk to put them up 2-1 before a throwing error allowed two more runs to score.
Cal Poly extended their lead to 8-2 in the fourth inning, as Martin picked up all three of her RBI with one swing on a bases-clearing triple. Martin was brought home by Doherty with a two-out single.
Freshman utility player Hailey Prahm ended the game with a three-run walk off homer in her first collegiate at bat.
The Mustangs continue their home stand on March 5 and 7, with doubleheaders against Pacific and Stanford inside Bob Janssen Field.