Final Stats

SAN DIEGO -- The long wait for Saint Mary's offense to get back to form may finally have come to an end Sunday, as the Gaels scored a season-high 16 runs on its most hits in more than two years, crushing San Diego, 16-2, to clinch a West Coast Conference series victory at Fowler Park.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Gaels (19-15, 8-7 WCC) scored runs in each of the first five innings, including a five-run fifth that made it 12-0. Errors by San Diego (17-19, 7-8 WCC) were not the only reason the Gaels scored, but they didn't help either. A potential inning-ending double play in the first inning booted by Paul Kunst was immediately followed by a three-run home run from Kevin Milam straight over the center field wall, giving the Gaels a 3-0 first-inning lead.
  
  
• It was an error straight through the legs of USD shortstop Trevor Rosenberg that capped the Gaels' five-run fifth-inning rally, making it 12-0. Joe Vranesh led off the top of the second with his fourth home run of the year, giving the Gaels their first multi-home run game of the season after having 10 such games last year. RBI base hits by Jackson Thoreson, Austin Piscotty and Milam again in the fourth would push the Gaels' lead to 7-0.
  
  
• And while the SMC bats were waking up, starting pitcher Ken Waldichuk (6-1) was doing what he has done week in and week out. He threw 6 1/3 shutout innings before giving up a two-run home run to Connor Doyle in the seventh, making it 12-2. He recorded six strikeouts and did not walk a batter until the seventh. He recorded six of his first seven outs via groundballs, then struck out six batters from the fourth to the seventh.
  
  
• Some of the Saint Mary's reserves also got in on the offensive action, putting up a four-run burst in the eighth to make it 16-2. San Diego native Andrew Shebloski drove a two-RBI double into the left-center field gap to plate two runs, and he later scored on Matt Green's RBI single. Edward Haus put the finishing touches on the Gaels' explosive day with an RBI double to the opposite field that scored Green.

• 5: San Diego committed five errors in the game. It was the second time it committed at least five errors in the series after committing seven in Friday's opener. Sunday's errors led to three unearned runs.
• 8: Eight different Gaels recorded multi-hit games Sunday. All but one had two hits. Joey Fiske led the way with a 3-for-4 performance. Eight Gaels also drove in at least one run.
• 14: Saint Mary's left 14 runners on base in the game. It was the third straight day it left at least 10 runners on. The Gaels totaled 35 runners left on base in the three-game series versus San Diego.

• The Gaels travel to the Central Valley next week for four games, first for a single non-conference game at Fresno State on Tuesday, then for a three-game WCC series at Pacific in Stockton. Fans can find all live coverage links on SMCGaels.com.