A new record: As the Gaels faced Cal Poly, Diego Castellanos extended his hitting streak to 37 games—a new record for Saint Mary’s Baseball and the West Coast Conference. / Photo by Eric Brown Jr. for SMC Athletics
Gaels Fall to Mustangs to Setup Rematch with No. 1 UCLA on Sunday in Elimination Game in NCAA Baseball Regional
Saint Mary’s endured a tough loss to Cal Poly on Saturday. But they also made history: SMC’s Diego Castellanos doubled to extend his hit streak to 37 games—a new Saint Mary’s and West Coast Conference record.
After stunning the country on Friday by defeating UCLA—the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Regionals—the Saint Mary’s Baseball team fell 14–1 to Big West champions Cal Poly Saturday night. That sends the Gaels to an elimination game: a rematch with host UCLA. Saint Mary’s and the Bruins square off once again on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. The winner will take on Cal Poly at 6 p.m. in the Los Angeles Regional final.
In Saturday’s game in the winner’s bracket, the Gaels took a 1–0 lead in the second inning off an RBI single from Jacob Johnson for his third RBI of the regional. On the mound, sophomore right hander Lukas Sarantos got through three innings allowing just one run off two hits. But Cal Poly erupted for a six-run fourth inning to take control of the game. The Mustangs would outscore the Gaels 13–0 over the final six innings to send Cal Poly to the regional final Sunday night.
Saint Mary’s tallied eight hits, including two-hit ballgames from Makoa Sniffen, Jacob Johnson, and Ian Josephson. Diego Castellanos officially made history Saturday night at Jackie Robinson Stadium, doubling in the sixth inning to extend his hit streak to 37 games, setting a new West Coast Conference and program record. SMC alum and former record holder Brenden Kalfus was in attendance to see Castellanos break his record of 36 games that stood for over a decade.
As the Gaels battle the top ranked Bruins for the second time on Sunday afternoon, for both teams, everything is on the line: a trip to the LA Regional finals or the end of the season.
A Close Fight for the First Three
Lukas Sarantos made his 22nd appearance and seventh start of the season for the Gaels Saturday and looked solid through the first three innings. Sarantos pitched to contact and got some nice defense behind him to allow just one run off two hits through the first three frames. Saint Mary’s was first to get on the board, in the second inning, after a leadoff double from Ian Armstrong followed by an RBI knock from Jacob Johnson the next at bat.
Cal Poly bounced back with a solo homer in the home half of the second to tie the game—and that’s where things stood through the top of the fourth. But in their turn at bat in the fourth, the Mustangs racked up six runs to take a commanding 7–1 lead. They hung another big number in the sixth, scoring five runs off five hits to put the game to bed.
The Gaels went through multiple pitchers as they tried to limit the damage. But as SMC Head Coach Eric Valenzuela noted afterward, with a team playing as well as Cal Poly was, the nine walks and four wild pitches that SMC gave up made it hard to win. The message to the team, he said, is “wipe it away as fast as we can and move forward. We still got some arms that will keep us in the game tomorrow. And the bats—we’re one of the best hitting teams in the country.”
Indeed, the Gaels have a hitting average of .330—which makes them No. 3 in the nation. That will be key as Saint Mary’s plays with their sights on earning a spot in the final Sunday night. If they make it, this would be the first time that Saint Mary’s has advanced to an NCAA Regional final.
Next Up: Rematch Between the Gaels and UCLA on Sunday
A rematch is set with the number one team in the country as Saint Mary's will battle UCLA in an elimination game on Sunday after the Bruins rallied to beat Virginia Tech in the elimination game on Saturday.
First pitch for Sunday’s game is scheduled for 1 p.m. Find information on tickets here, and watch the game live on ESPNU. Find more at smcgaels.com.
