Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

CHANDLER, Ariz.  – It was a tale of two games on Sunday afternoon at Chandler Gilbert Community College.  Game one saw a dominant Park University Gilbert softball team take control early and roll to an 11-4 win over the University of St. Mary.  The second game saw the Bucs jump on top early again on and it looked like it might be another easy win, but the Spires came roaring back from a five run deficit to take a nine-run mercy rule victory in six innings.

Game 1 – Park Gilbert 11, St. Mary 4

Behind a complete game effort in the circle from Gabby Vallee and 4-4 days at the plate from Danae Villareal and Michele Dinicola the Buccaneers cruised to an 11-4 win. 

Villareal and Dinicola each had a quarter of the Bucs 16 hits in the game.  Makenzie Celeya also added three knocks as Park Gilbert scored six runs in the first three innings and the added some insurance with five more runs in the fifth and sixth to seal the win.

Villareal had a triple, two doubles and a single.  She almost hit for the cycle as one of her doubles banged off the right field fence.  Dinicola had a home run, two doubles and a single as she also flirted with a cycle.

In the circle, Vallee (4-4) gets the win as she cruised through the first four innings before a shaky fifth brought the outcome into doubt for a brief period of time.  Spires leadoff hitter Hazel Faz hit a grand slam to cut the deficit to two, befoy Vallere the Bucs hit the afterburners to pull away at the end.  Vallee scattered six hits, (three of the hits came in that four-run fifth) walked one and stuck out five. 

Game 2 – St. Mary 15, Park Gilbert 6

Behind a four-run third and an eight-run sixth, the Spires won the second game in a mercy rule finish.

The Bucs jumped out to a 6-1 lead after a six-run second inning had most fans thinking there would be a repeat of the first game.  A leadoff walk and two Spires errors loaded the bases.  A Jazmine Nuanez single plated a run, followed by another error on a Celeya ground ball to score two more and a Tayler Gallegos single drove home two. Then a Villareal walk and another base hit by Dinicola kept things going.  After a walk to Yasiel Lazo to load the bases, catcher Raylissa Garcia garnered one more free pass to score the final tally of the inning.  Little did they know it would be the last run they would get for the game.

The Spires pitching would settle in and leave a total of 11 Buccaneers stranded for the game.  Bucs starter Kylee Saunders left with a one run lead after 2 2/3 innings of work, but the Spires were able to touch up Bucs reliever Elizabeth Lyon for 10 runs (9 earned) to break the game open.    

After the doubleheader, the Bucs are 5-13 on the season, the Spires are 2-14.  Both teams now get ready to participate in the Sterling Softball Scramble, hosted by Park Gilbert at Cactus Yards this week, March 9-12.  These two teams will meet one more time in the scramble on Thursday.