Mater Dei Monarchs (Santa Ana, CA) backers exited the stadium thrilled Saturday as they saw their softball squad nip the visiting Gallup Bengals (Gallup, NM), 5-1 in a non-league challenge.

The Monarchs now own a 8-2 record. They take the field next when they travel to Rio Rancho for a non-league challenge on Saturday, March 2. Mater Dei will battle a Rams squad coming off a 10-9 non-league win over Grand Terrace (Grand Terrace, CA). The Rams record now stands at 1-2.

With the loss, Gallup falls to 1-4 on the campaign. The Bengals travel to Chino Hills (Chino Hills, CA) to battle the Huskies in a non-league challenge on Saturday, March 2. The Huskies enter the challenge with a record of 4-5. Chino Hills won 11-0 in their recent non-league challenge against Aztec (Aztec, NM)