April 8, 2018 Final Stats
MORAGA, Calif. - A tight pitchers' duel went the way of San Francisco in game one, but Ken Waldichuk' relentless performance on the mound in the second game gave the Gaels a 5-4 victory to split a West Coast Conference doubleheader against the Dons at Louis Guisto Field.
GAME ONE
- It was another classic pitchers duel at Louis Guisto Field as USF's Riley Ornido's took a no-hitter into the eighth inning to earn the win, and Gaels' starter Kevin Milam held the Dons to a single, unearned run over seven innings that was enough to see USF slide by Saint Mary's 1-0.
- With both starters featuring pinpoint control and settling into a groove early, the game began with five scoreless innings. But the game turned for the Dons (20-12, 10-2 WCC) in the top of the sixth as they made it interesting with a Riley Helland single and a walk to Michael Perri. USF would push their only run across one batter later after a fielding error at first base allowed Helland to score from second.
- Ty Madrigal would come out of the Saint Mary's bullpen and keep the Gaels in the game with two scoreless innings, which set up the stage for a ninth inning in which Saint Mary's would move the game-tying run into scoring position on two occasions, only to fall just short.
GAME TWO - Saint Mary's sent staff ace Ken Waldichuk to the mound, where he began his afternoon striking out six of the first seven batters faced, including the side in the first two innings to set the tone for 7 2/3 innings of two-run ball to go with a career-high 14 strikeouts.
- The Dons would eventually chase Waldichuk from the game in the eighth with a two-out double and single that got USF on the board and made it a 5-1 game. USF continued its rally against reliever Conner Loeprich with a two-out single and three-run home run that cut the lead to 5-4, entering the ninth inning looking for a single run to send the game to extras. But USF would not get it, as Michael Hobbs worked around a pair of two-out walks to earn his eighth save and help the Gaels salvage the final game of the series and avoid the sweep.
- After getting shutout in the first game the Gaels jumped all over USF early, with Jackson Thoreson, Austin Chauvin, Conor Thane and Milam making the Dons pay for two early errors with three singles and a sacrifice fly to help SMC take an early 4-0 lead.
- Following the four-run burst to begin the game, Saint Mary's was held scoreless until Jackson Thoreson turned on a one-out fastball, hitting his team-leading third home run deep over the right field wall that gave the Gaels a 5-0 lead. The home run would prove important as they would need every bit to stay ahead of USF's late rally.
NOTABLE NUMBERS - 4: Saint Mary's had offense to go around in game two. In a game that featured home runs by both teams, four Gaels had multi-hit games, and Saint Mary's totaled 13 baserunners over the course of the game.
- 14: Waldichuk racked up a career-high 14 strikeouts over 7 2/3 innings. Waldichuk had a previous high of 12 strikeouts that had been set on two occasions this season.
- 77: Waldichuk's 14 Ks in game two raised his season total to 77. He entered the weekend 12 off the pace of national leader Kyle Brnovich.
- 0: The Dons went a combined 0-13 with runners on base. In a game the Gaels would lose 1-0, pitchers Kevin Milam and Ty Madrigal held USF to zero hits with runners on base and a four hits overall.
QUOTABLES Head Coach Eric Valenzuela - "We have a good closer in Hobbs, and he did his thing that last inning. It got a little dicey but that's what happens when you face good teams like that."
Michael Hobbs - "I play everything the same, whether it's up 10 or down 10, up 1 or down 1, it's all the same to me."
COMING UP Saint Mary's will host Nevada at 3 p.m. Monday at Louis Guisto Field. Tickets are available for purchase on SMCGaels.com or by calling the SMC Ticket Office at (925) 631-GoTx. Fans can find all live coverage links on SMCGaels.com.
