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SANTA ANA — Gahr’s softball team felt at home on the road Thursday against Orange Lutheran in the CIF-SS Division 1 quarterfinals.

The Gladiators found support from their early-arriving and boisterous student section that consisted of softball and baseball players wearing royal-colored jerseys in the bleachers behind home plate.

They also leaned on their defense.

Gahr turned two double plays, tracked down two drives to the outfield fence and capped a 7-3 victory at Barry Turner Field with sophomore pitcher Marley Cortez snagging a line drive back to the circle with runners at second and third.

Cortez reached quickly to backhand a shot off the bat of sophomore second baseman Emi Todoroki to complete an escape from a bases-loaded jam with no outs.

One batter earlier, the Gladiators (23-8) turned a double play with the bases loaded and the tying run at the plate. Orange Lutheran junior Tessa Jerue smashed a one-hopper to third but Gahr turned a double play by throwing runners out at home plate and first base.

“We pride ourselves on defense,” said Gahr coach Rey Sanchez, whose squad plays host to Roosevelt in the semifinals on Saturday. “If you pitch and play defense, you’re in every game, and that’s why we’ve been in every game.”

“And this is a great offensive team,” he said of Orange Lutheran (21-9). “The girls came to play, and they’re playing with some fire.”

Junior right fielder Sophia Magcale and sophomore center fielder Natalia Hill made dazzling catches at the fence in the fifth and sixth innings.

With its student section on its feet for the top of the seventh inning, Gahr scored four runs to break a 3-3 tie. Mikala Huskey delivered the go-ahead hit before Amanda Taamu added an RBI double and Cortez drove in another run with a sacrifice fly.

Gahr’s fourth run of the inning scored on a wild pitch. The Gladiators also scored twice on wild pitches in the first inning, which fueled their student section. Gahr also threw a runner out at home in the first.

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“It felt like we were at their field because this isn’t our home field,” said Orange Lutheran coach Steve Miklos, whose team couldn’t play at home because of a turf project. “(Their students) were definitely loud. For us, the takeaway is they experienced it and came up short but they’re all going to grow from it and it’s just going to make them better.”

Jerue doubled in the Lancers’ first run in the first inning and drew a bases-loaded walk with two outs in the second inning to give her team a 3-2 lead.