Santa Clara softball player Kyla Acres ’26 consoles Caitlyn Golob ’27 after Golob struck out, ending the game in the seventh and final inning of Santa Clara softball’s game against Saint Mary’s at Santa Clara Softball Stadium on Friday, May 8, 2026. With the 3-2 win against the Broncos, Saint Mary’s won the West Coast Conference. Santa Clara had to win the game on Friday and another on Saturday against the Gaels to win the conference title. **(Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)**

The goal was clear for Santa Clara softball (26-25, 11-7 WCC) entering Thursday’s matchup vs first-place Saint Mary’s College (40-14, 15-3 WCC) in a three-game series.

Sitting three games back of Saint Mary’s in the conference standings, the Broncos needed to sweep the series against the Gaels to repeat as conference champions and return to the NCAA Division 1 softball championships.

The Broncos started hot, taking down Saint Mary’s 4-3 in the first game on Thursday, May 7, led by 2025 WCC pitcher of the year, Cari Ferguson ’28, who tossed a complete game..

For Friday’s nationally televised game, Santa Clara took on the 2026 WCC pitcher of the year, Odhi Vasquez ’26, looking to outdo Ferguson’s outing a day prior.

The game stayed deadlocked till the seventh inning, with each team scoring a pair of runs in the second. Ferguson came in on relief in the fourth to get the Broncos out of a jam, continuing her impressive showing from the previous day.

The Gaels were able to get one past Ferguson and the Bronco defenders in the seventh, breaking the tie and loading the bases with no outs. Ferguson escaped the inning, retiring the next three batters, keeping Santa Clara within a run.

Before the bottom of the seventh and final inning, Santa Clara softball players flipped their visors around in an effort to change their luck as they were down 3-2 to Saint Mary’s. **(Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)**

With their backs against the wall and their season on the line, the Broncos were unable to find an answer to Saint Mary’s ace by Vasquez, who struck out the side, dashing the hopes of the sold-out crowd in attendance at Santa Clara Softball Stadium.

To finish the year, Santa Clara honored all eight seniors by bringing their families out for the ceremonial first pitch, allowing family members to throw to their seniors.

The families of seniors on Santa Clara’s softball team throw out the first pitch to the seniors on Senior Day. **(Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)**

Each senior received a starting nod in Saturday’s game, celebrating a group that has seen unprecedented success over the past three years, surpassing the program record for the most wins in three years with 88.

Santa Clara fell short again in Saturday’s game, losing 11-3 as seniors Kyla Acres ’26, Robynn Balmediano ’26, Leiora Davidson ’26, Hazyl Gray ’26, Jacqueline Lemus ’26, Marie Martorella ’26, Kendal Manley ’26 and Mariah Montalvo ’26 concluded their Bronco careers in front of a third consecutive sold-out crowd. Lemus recorded her second career hit in her final at-bat with a single in the third inning.

Six Broncos received WCC honors, highlighted by WCC Freshman of the Year Ellison Schroeder ’29, and WCC first team recipient Rebecca Rubio ’27. Schroder ’29 also made the WCC second team, along with Taryn Clements ’27, Cairah Curran ’27 and Cari Ferguson ’28, while Robynn Balmediano ’26 earned WCC honorable mention.

The Broncos set their sights on next year with a change incoming to how the conference champion will be determined. Per a WCC press release from June 2025, men’s soccer, women’s soccer and softball will all add an end-of-year conference tournament, giving next year’s Broncos a completely new path to the postseason. For softball, the top four teams will make the tournament in a double-elimination format to decide the winner.

Santa Clara softball finishes their season with 26 wins to 25 losses, going 11-7 in conference play. The Broncos will look to reload this offseason for another run at the conference title, with six new recruits and many top contributors returning to the field. Expectations remain high for a program that has firmly established itself as a perennial contender in the WCC.