The article below originally appeared in the San Mateo Daily Journal and is being reprinted with permission.

The longer Emily McAdams pitches, the better the College of San Mateo right-hander gets.

With the second inning going south, the No. 1-ranked Lady Bulldogs (6-1 Coast North, 26-4 overall) were forced to turn to McAdams in relief Saturday at West Valley. Entering with the bases loaded and two outs, the freshman briefly faltered by walking Malia Pula to force home the tying run. From there, though, McAdams was flawless.

The right-hander out of Sequoia went on to set down the last 16 batters she faced as CSM took down West Valley 7-3. McAdams finished the day with 5 1/3 innings of no-hit softball, striking out four while allowing just the one base runner on the initial walk.

The Bulldogs took the lead back with a three-run fourth inning. Quirke scored the go-ahead run on a single by sophomore Gabby Zucchiatti. Alexis Riccardi later singled home Zucchiatti, and Mackenzie Driscoll scored on an RBI groundout off the bat of Aubrie Businger.

Zucchiatti and Riccardi each finished with two hits and two RBIs. Quirke added a two-hit day as the Bulldogs totaled 10 knocks on the day.

Through 16 pitching appearances this season, Saturday’s outing was the longest relief appearance of McAdams’ career. She’s gone six innings — her career high — in three different starts, allowing just one hit in each of the past two.

With the win, CSM maintains a first-place tie with Ohlone in the Coast Conference North standings. The Bulldogs defeated Ohlone 6-4 on March 15. The two conference frontrunners meet again in the regular-season finale April 24.