MORAGA, Calif. — It's win or go home for both teams this weekend in Los Angeles, as both the Saint Mary's baseball team and host Loyola Marymount need to win in their three-game West Coast Conference series starting Friday to grab the last spot in the 2018 WCC Tournament.

The Gaels (31-20, 14-10 WCC) need just one victory in the three-game series to clinch their third straight berth in the tournament. But the Lions (21-28, 12-12 WCC) need a three-game sweep in order to get in. Saint Mary's took two of three from the Lions at Page Stadium in 2016. LMU took two of three from SMC in Moraga last year en route to a regular-season WCC title and a tourney berth.

SCHEDULE

Friday, May 18, 6 p.m. â€" Saint Mary's (31-20, 14-10 WCC) at Loyola Marymount (21-28, 12-12 WCC)
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Saturday, May 19, 6 p.m. â€" Saint Mary's at Loyola Marymount
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Sunday, May 20, 1 p.m. â€" Saint Mary's at Loyola Marymount
LIVE VIDEO |

LAST TIME OUT
Saint Mary's began Tuesday's game with four scoreless innings, the Gaels' offense chipped in with four runs in the third, and SMC topped San Jose State, 7-3, in its home finale. Saint Mary's blew the game open with a big third inning. The Gaels would load the bases with no outs after JC Santini already scored courtesy of a throwing error that allowed Brett Rasso to reach. Saint Mary's cashed in, as Jackson Thoreson, Edward Haus, and Gio Diaz each contributed RBIs to give the Gaels a commanding 5-0 lead.

ABOUT SAINT MARY'S
The Gaels (31-20, 14-10 WCC) have been on a tear lately, winning two straight, 11 of their last 14 and 16 of their last 22 games since April 8. They finished with a 16-7 mark at home and have won five of their last seven road games. Saint Mary's have been road warriors this season, playing 28 of 51 games (55 percent) of their games on the road.

Joey Fiske has batted .555 with four multi-hit games over the last six contests to surge into the team lead with 58 hits. Jackson Thoreson has hit home runs in back-to-back weekends and leads the Gaels with eight homers, 15 doubles, a career-high 38 RBIs and a .509 slugging percentage. Ken Waldichuk is the Gaels' top starter with a 1.53 ERA and 116 strikeouts â€" both top-10 marks in the country. Ty Madrigal has led the Gaels' relief efforts with a 3-1 record and 1.74 ERA in 20 appearances, striking out 48 against just 19 walks and a .158 opponent batting average.

ABOUT LOYOLA MARYMOUNT
The Lions (21-28, 12-12 WCC) have lost four straight and six of their last seven, including five straight WCC games. At 12-7, the Lions were flirting with first place and potentially another WCC regular season title. Now the Lions must sweep the Gaels at home this weekend to qualify for the WCC Tournament. LMU is 12-9 at home in 2018.

LMU is batting under .250 as a team (.248) and has a team ERA over 5.00 (5.15). Nick Sogard has been the Lions' top offensive threat with a team-best .337 batting average and .458 on-base percentage. Niko Decolati is LMU's biggest power threat with a team-high five home runs and .440 slugging percentage. Tyler Cohen -- Saturday's game two starter -- carries a team-best 2.01 ERA in seven appearances (four starts). Nick Frasso (3-4, 3.46 ERA) leads the Lions with 65 strikeouts.

COMING UP
Should the Gaels qualify for the 2018 West Coast Conference Tournament, the tournament's first day would be Thursday at Banner Island Ballpark in Stockton. Information on the tournament can be found on the WCC Tournament Central Page.