Meet the West Coast Conference champs in Baseball: Saint Mary's celebrates the first conference title since 2016. / Photo by Kyle Terada
Gaels Are West Coast Conference Champs! Saint Mary’s Defeats San Diego to Claim the Title and Earn a Place in the NCAA Tournament
In an epic double-header, the Gaels came back from a heartbreaking loss in 14 innings in game one to a 9–8 victory in game two. This is the first WCC championship for Saint Mary’s since 2016 and only the second title in program history.
Eighty-six innings, 183 runs, and nine games later, and the Saint Mary's Gaels are the 2025 West Coast Conference Tournament Champions! The Gaels overcame a heartbreaking 14-inning walk-off defeat in game one of Saturday's championship slate and turned right back around to pull off another thriller in Las Vegas Ballpark, holding off a late San Diego surge to win 9–8. This is the second time Saint Mary's has won a conference tournament title in program history, and their first since 2016.
In winning the conference title, the Gaels automatically earn a spot in the NCAA Baseball Tournament. They find out where and when they will be playing on the morning of Monday, May 26, with the NCAA Selection Show slated for 9 a.m. Pacific. Saint Mary's hosts a free Selection Show Watch Party at the UCU Pavilion. Doors open at 8:30 a.m.
Saturday’s double-header meant for a grueling nine hours of baseball for the Gaels. After the epic extra-innings battle in the afternoon, game two was tied at five through seven innings, setting up for another tense finish, with the tournament title on the line. The Gaels offense finally rallied for a big inning in the eighth: four runs, including a bases clearing triple from Ryan Pierce. Brian Duroff doubled the next at bat to plate Pierce and give Saint Mary's a 9–5 lead. It was only fitting that the Toreros made things interesting in the top of the ninth, scoring three runs off three SMC errors. On the mound, John Damozonio was in his fourth inning of relief but was left in to finish the game, inducing an RBI ground out for the second out of the game and then striking out the final batter to strand runners on first and third, and secure the WCC Tournament championship.
Brian Duroff and Tanner Griffith each had three hits in the final game, while Ryan Pierce led the team with three RBI, thanks to his first career triple in the eighth inning. Daniel Guevara Castro, Dylan Delvecchio, Ryan Pierce, Jared Mettam, and Eddie Madrigal were all named to the WCC All-Tournament team, with Madrigal taking home the Most Outstanding Player award.
Game One: Fourteen Innings and Heartbreak
Saint Mary’s was designated as the visiting team for game one at 1 p.m. And if the Gaels had won that afternoon contest, they would have secured the championship. But that’s not how it played out.
With pitching at a premium for both teams late in the tournament, Saint Mary's jumped out to a four-run lead in the first with an RBI single from Ryan Pierce and a two-out RBI double from Jared Mettam. And it got better: The Gaels led 6–3 through three innings, behind the start of freshman Lukas Sarantos. Sarantos completed three innings, allowing three runs off four hits.
Saint Mary's added to their lead in the seventh, thanks to a three-run triple from Eddie Madrigal, pushing the lead to a comfortable 10–3 with just two innings to play. That’s when the wheels fell off. San Diego posted a nine-run seventh inning to take a 12–10 lead. Saint Mary’s Coach Eric Valenzuela made four changes in the inning to limit the damage, but San Diego finished with six hits to take a dramatic two-run lead.
Extra, Extra
With their backs against the wall, Saint Mary's rallied in the ninth with a pair of runs to tie the game and force extra innings. Diego Castellanos singled to start the inning, and then Tanner Griffith worked a two-out walk to turn the lineup over for Eddie Madrigal. Madrigal jumped on the 1–0 pitch and hit a sinking line drive to right field. The San Diego right fielder attempted to make a diving catch but the ball got by him all the way to the wall, scoring both Castellanos and Griffith and tying the game at 12.
That’s where the score hung until the 12th inning, when both teams scored, making it 13–13. The Toreros’ Aden Howard connected on a three-run homer in the 14th inning for a walk-off 16–13 win—and to force a winner-take-all game two. The Gaels’ Eddie Madrigal finished with three hits and five RBI, while Diego Castellanos and Jared Mettam combined for six hits, three runs scored, and three RBI.
The defeat in game one goes down as one of the worst of the season for the Gaels, who failed to hold on to a seven-run lead. On top of that, after the marathon game, they then had to regroup and play again within an hour span—with championship hardware and an NCAA Regional bid on the line.
Winning Game Two for the Championship
With the Gaels taking the field as the home team in game two, freshman southpaw Jaden McNeely got the start for Saint Mary’s as one of just three arms to have not been used in the tournament. McNeely only had five appearances prior to the championship game, but he was able to give the Gaels three innings of work, surrendering four runs off three hits.
After a scoreless first frame, both teams put up two runs in the second and third inning. In the third, the Gaels did their damage with two outs, thanks to an RBI single from Diego Castellanos and a hit batter with the bases loaded, to tie the game at four.
Breaking the Tie
After seven innings of play, the game was tied at five. In the bottom of the eighth, a single and a hit batter put runners on first and second for the Gaels, with nobody out. Aiden Taurek had gone 0-for-4 from the plate, but the San Diego coaching staff elected to intentionally walk him and load the bases with one out.
Ryan Pierce quickly cleaned up that. He came to the plate and, after fouling off a pair of 1–2 pitches, Pierce lined a triple to the left center gap to clear the bases and give Saint Mary's an 8–5 lead. Brian Duroff then doubled to the left field corner to plate Pierce and complete the four-run inning for the Gaels.
The Nail-Biting Ninth
For the top of the ninth, with the Gaels up 9–5, John Damozonio came back out for his fourth inning of work on the mound. But three errors by the Gaels put runners on and scored one, to make it a three-run game. The next at bat, a high chopping single, got over the head of Eddie Madrigal and scored another run, quickly making it a two-run ballgame with nobody out.
The next batter laid down a sacrifice bunt to put runners on second and third, and for the first out of the inning. Damozonio continued to fire strikes and induced an RBI groundout to second the next at bat. The Toreros trailed by just a run with two outs and a runner on third. After a five-pitch walk to put runners on the corners, Damozonio took a deep breath. He went on to strike out the final batter on five pitches—and to send the Gaels and their fans into a frenzy. The team had just secured their second WCC Tournament title in program history.
For the Record
In the end it wasn't pretty, but Saint Mary's continued to show fight and grit all day long, overcoming that 14-inning game one defeat to come back and win game two 9–8 over top-seed and defending champions San Diego. Brian Duroff tied his career high with three hits in game two, while Tanner Griffith recorded three hits out of the nine-spot to help turn the lineup over all night long.
Elliott Joslin pitched two clean innings after McNeely before turning things over to John Damozonio for the final four. Damozonio earned his fourth win of the season—and a truly memorable one for the Gaels.
As for that season: Eddie Madrigal broke a pair of single-season records this year, with 64 runs scored and 77 RBI. He sits three home runs shy of the single-season record set by Christian Almanza just last year, with 24 long balls.
Looking Ahead: Selection Show Watch Party on May 26
Saint Mary's won their 35th game of the season and their second WCC Tournament Championship in program history and first since 2016. They await their NCAA regional bid with the selection show slated for Monday, May 26 at 9 a.m. Pacific. The full NCAA Regional schedule, location, and broadcast info will be posted at smcgaels.com.
Saint Mary's is hosting a free Selection Show Watch Party at UCU Pavilion. Doors open at 8:30 a.m.—with free donuts and coffee for those in attendance. The show will be displayed live on the video board inside the pavilion. Can't make it in person? The selection show will also be broadcast on NCAA.com and ESPN2.
Story updated May 25 at 7:30 p.m. to include Selection Show details.
