Gaels advance! Putting Saint Mary’s marker into the WCC Championship game / Photo by Kyle Terada
Championship Bound! Gaels Erase Six-Run Deficit to Defeat LMU and Fight for the West Coast Conference Title
The Gaels score 14 unanswered runs to win 18–11. Saint Mary’s now plays in the WCC Championship game for the first time since 2019, where they will face San Diego in Las Vegas on May 24.
On the baseball diamond, Saint Mary's has had a flair for the dramatic all season long. They stayed true to form Friday night in Las Vegas, with one of the most memorable comebacks in program history, erasing a six-run deficit and scoring 14 unanswered runs to defeat four-seed LMU 18–11 in the West Coast Conference winners bracket. With the win, the Gaels advanced to the championship game for the first time since 2019 and will have a shot at their first WCC Tournament title and an NCAA Regional appearance since 2016. They will face San Diego, which defeated LMU in the second game on Friday night.
Against the Gaels, LMU jumped out to a 10–4 lead with three home runs over the first five innings of the ballgame as they continued to swing a hot bat in the conference tournament. The Gaels went on to showcase their grit and found a way to score 14 unanswered runs and take a momentous 18–10 lead. A six-run fifth inning tied the game at ten apiece as Aiden Taurek put the exclamation point on the inning with a three-run homer to tie things up. Brian Duroff added a three-run homer in the seventh, and Eddie Madrigal and Aiden Taurek recorded a pair of RBI doubles to help put the game out of reach for the Lions. Senior Daniel Guevara Castro picked up his first career win with 3.2 innings in relief, allowing just one run off two hits.
Down but not out
LMU and Saint Mary's stood as the two best offenses going into Friday night's game. The Lions landed the first punch with five runs over the first two innings, including a pair of home runs from Nate Savoie and Beau Ankeney. The Gaels responded with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the second to break their momentum and keep within striking distance.
On the mound for the Gaels, freshman Sam Kretsch replaced starter John Damozonio at the end of the second and was able to induce a 5-4-3 inning-ending double play to get out of the third and get Saint Mary's back to the plate. That’s where Ryan Pierce delivered, with his 14th homer of the season to the deepest part of the yard. His solo shot cut the deficit to just two runs heading into the fourth.
After a three-run homer from Ankeney in the fourth and a two-out two-RBI single in the top of the fifth, LMU pushed their lead back to six runs and saw the light at the end of the tunnel and a trip to the WCC Championship game in their sights. But the Gaels were far from finished.
Saint Mary's was due for a big inning, though, as the league's top offense, averaging over 11 runs per game in this year's conference tournament. That big inning came in the bottom half of the fifth as the Gaels put up six runs, including a three-run home run from Aiden Taurek, to tie the game at ten for a brand new ballgame.
Gaels Find Their Groove
That’s when Saint Mary's really started to find their groove at the plate. The Gaels went on to record three straight leadoff doubles in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings. As a result, they scored a combined eight runs over their final three at-bats to seal the 18–11 victory. In the seventh, Ryan Pierce singled to left field to plate Tanner Griffith, who led the inning off with his seventh double of the season. Brian Duroff then skied his eighth home run of the season the very next at bat to give Saint Mary's a 15–10 lead.
RBI doubles from Aiden Taurek and Eddie Madrigal in the eighth inning cranked the Gaels to a tournament-high 18 runs. On the mound, Derik Eaquinto made his second appearance of the tournament and completed a full inning of work as he finished off the fifth and got the first out in the sixth before departing for Daniel Guevara Castro.
Castro made his 20th appearance of the season and second of the week and was absolutely stellar, pitching a career high 3.2 innings and earning his first collegiate win in his two seasons as a Gael. Castro allowed just one run off two hits and struck out three batters in the process. After giving up a solo shot in the ninth, he induced a fly ball out to Griffith in center to end the game and help send Saint Mary's to the WCC Championship.
The Gaels' offense racked up 14 hits on the night and erased a six-run deficit while scoring 14 unanswered runs in the ninth inning. Madrigal had his best game of the tournament so far, with a four-hit night and three RBI. Taurek also had three hits and a career-high five RBI, including his three-run homer to tie the game in the fifth inning. The bottom of the lineup was solid once again for the Gaels, combining for three hits and two RBI from the 7–9 spots. The bottom three hitters in the lineup for Saint Mary's have a combined .306 batting average over the course of the season, helping contribute to a .302 team average to lead the WCC and rank inside the top-60 in all of Division I Baseball.
Looking Ahead
Saint Mary's improved to 34–23 overall and has now won eight games in a row, their longest win streak since starting the season 11–0 in 2022. They will play top-seeded San Diego in the WCC Championship game on Saturday, May 24th at 1 p.m. Tickets can be bought online, and the game can be streamed live on ESPNU. The winner will earn an automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Regional. and represent the West Coast Conference on the national stage.
