CHANDLER, Ariz. -- Some days things just don't go your way.  President's day was that day for the Buccaneers softball team as they dropped two run-rule games against No. 25 Marymount California 15-5 (5) and 18-2 (6).at Chandler-Gilbert Community College.  

"Marymount is a very good team," said Park Gilbert head coach Karin Gadberry.  "But I also don't think we played to our capabilities today.  The second game was competitive for all but one inning.  We have to find consistency in our play if we want to have a chance to beat teams like Marymount."

Game 1 -- Marymount California 15, Park Gilbert 6

In this game, the game was over almost before it started.  A 13-run Mariner first set the tone and took the wind out of the sails almost from the get-go.  The Mariners sent 18 hitters (12 hits) to the plate in the inning off Buccaneers starter Elizabeth Lyon (0-1) Only six of the runs were earned due to an error.  

Park Gilbert did not have an answer for Mariners starter DeAndria Lockett who stuck out 8 of the 9 Buccaneers she faced over three innings.  The Bucs bats came alive in in the last two innings off reliever Samantha Loomis as the Park Gilbert hitters touched her up for nine hits in two innings and six runs. But it was not enough to avoid the run rule and the game was called after five innings of play.

Tayler Gallegos, Makenzie Celeya, and Yassiel Lazo all recorded two hits in the game.  Freshman Cori Haro picked up her first collegiate hit in her first at bat of the season.  

Game 2 -- Marymount California, 18, Park Gilbert 2

The Mariners jumped out in the first inning again, but this time they were held to just two runs in the first frame.  But then Park Gilbert starter Gabby Vallee settled in and held Marymount scoreless for the next two innings before a walk a double a suicide squeeze and an infield single helped to plate two more runs.  

The Buccaneers answered off Mariners starter Haley Marschall in the bottom half of the fourth with their only two runs of the game when Shaylah Dominguez tripled in catcher Raylissa Garcia and first baseman Claudia Telles who had walked and singled ahead of her. That was the last hit the Bucs would get as game one starter Lockett returned in relief and shut down the Buccaneers for the remainder of the game.

At the end of the fourth it was still a 4-2 contest, but then the floodgates opened, and this is where it turned into a rout.  In the fifth, the Mariners added four runs on five hits and in the sixth they added 10 runs to their total off of Saunders as the Bucs committed three errors in the inning to go along with the seven hits Marymount tallied in the inning. Of the 10 runs, only four were earned. 

Game Notes

- Celeya has hit safely in seven of the Bucs eight games.  She was only held without a hit in the Bucs 15-1 win against Northwest.  She also did not play against Benedictine due to illness.

- Lazo has hit safely in eight of the Bucs nine games. She has hit safely in every game she has started. The only game she did not have a hit was against College of Idaho where she had a pinch-hitting appearance.

- Lockett struck out 13 of the 15 Bucs hitters she faced in two games.  She did walk two batters in the second game.

Up Next

Embry-Riddle comes to town for a double header on Saturday Feb. 22 with a 5-7 record but has some impressive wins over ranked opposition.  They own wins over No. 19 College of Idaho, No. 1 Southern Oregon, and No. 24 Corbin University. First game starts at noon.