RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Playing a pair of games against California Baptist on Saturday, Saint Mary's showed many sides to their early-season success. As they have all season, they pitched to near-perfection at times, and the bats started to wake up, as Saint Mary's hit three home runs and swept the doubleheader against the Lancers, with scores of 6-0 and 8-4. Saint Mary's has now won five in a row, while the Lancers sit at 2-4.
 
Game 1 – Saint Mary's 6, California Baptist 0
 
BOWER OUTAGE – PART II
After a great first start as a Gael that saw him as the tough-luck loser, Sam Bower was even better in his second start. Getting the nod in the opening of the twin bill, Bower was efficient and nearly spotless, tossing the first 7.1 innings of the game in the longest start by a Gael this season. He needed just 91 pitches to retire 22 hitters, while allowing just three hits, failing to walk anyone, and striking out six. This marks his second start to begin the season without allowing a walk, a stretch that has now gone 13.1 innings. After a leadoff single from the Lancers, Bower retired the next 15 he saw, before a leadoff single on a bunt in the sixth. He never faced trouble, and set the bullpen up nicely for a shutout, which was finished off by Jackson Hulett.
 
ONES ADD UP
No Gaels recorded more than one hit, and no Gaels scored more than once, but one big hit early in the game was enough to propel the offense moving forward. In the top of the second inning, Blake Mann was hit by a pitch to leadoff, followed by a double from Christopher Campos that put a pair of runners in scoring position. That brought up Gabe Giosso, who matched his home run total from a season ago with a blast to right center, scoring three and giving the Gaels a 3-0 cushion. It marks the first time since 2019 the Gaels have homered in back-to-back games, and provided a spark the offense had been looking for. Behind him, Justin Banks delivered an RBI-double in the fourth, and Blake Mann and Nick Mistone added sacrifice flies in the innings that followed to make it 6-0. One other one to mention: the Gaels only struck out once in the first game.
 
Game 2 – Saint Mary's 8, California Baptist 4
 
LET'S GET CROOKED
Saint Mary's got a bulk of their runs in the seventh inning, when they already had a 3-1 lead. Mistone led off with a double and he was followed by sacrifice bunt to move him into scoring position. The inning then snowballed in the Gaels favor, with Eric Smelko singling up the middle to score Mistone and make it 4-1. Ryan Novis followed suit with an infield single and then Banks reached on a fielding error from the Lancers pitcher. With Mann batting, a wild pitch scored Smelko, and then Mann singled up the middle to score two more. Walks to Giosso and JC Santini scored another run, and Mistone got his second hit of the inning with a single to score the inning's fifth run.
 
THE THREE PRIOR
Saint Mary's wound up needing those insurance runs, but they were staked to a comfortable lead early. The Gaels loaded the bases in the first and wound up scoring once on a bounce out. In the second, Santini hit his first home run since 2019 with a shot to left field that made it 2-0, giving the Gaels homers in three-straight games. The home runs weren't done as Banks hit his second home run of the series in the fifth, a solo shot to straightaway center, making it a 3-1 lead for SMC at the time.
 
STRONG START, SOLID FINISH
Ky Bush got the start in game two of the doubleheader, and was excellent once again for the Gaels. The lefty from Utah went 6+ on the mound, allowing seven hits, two runs, one walk, and struck out a season-best eight to pick up his second win in as many outings. He left the game with a man on, and that man came around to score, part of a dicey ending to the ballgame. The Lancers got three runs in the seventh, off of Bush and Ryan Sanders, before Jack Snook and Michael Hobbs were able to get out trouble. Hobbs escaped with the bases loaded, and then had to do so again in the ninth inning as he picked up his first save of the year. He allowed three runners on to open up the ninth, but got a pair of strikeouts and a groundout to end the game.
 
UP NEXT
The series wraps up in Riverside on Sunday as the Gaels and Lancers play one more, with first pitch scheduled for 12:00 pm. Dalton Ponce will get the nod for Saint Mary's, looking to build off his first start of the year which saw him pitch four innings of hitless baseball.
 
CARDBOARD CUTOUTS
We are all excited that Saint Mary's athletics are back, but we understand that it's not quite the same since YOU, THE FANS, are not be able to attend in person. But that doesn't mean you can't be there in body (well, sort of) and spirit, supporting your Gael Athletic Programs! For $75, you can upload your photo to represent you as a cardboard cutout in the stands at one of 6venues on campus (Women's 'Volleyball in UCU Pavilion, Men's and Women's Soccer at Saint Mary's Stadium, Baseball at Louis Guisto Field, Men's and Women's Tennis at the Korth Tennis Complex, Softball at Cottrell Field, or Beach Volleyball at Saint Mary's Campus Courts). A link for more information can be found HERE.
 
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