RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Saint Mary's Baseball was in position for a series sweep of California Baptist on Sunday afternoon. Having controlled the first three games of the series, Saint Mary's has to play catch-up in the series finale, but finally broke even in the eighth. Unfortunately, erasing a deficit did not last long, as five runs from the Lancers in the bottom of the eighth won the game for CBU with a final of 8-5 and prevented SMC from sweeping the series. Saint Mary's drops down to 5-3 on the year while California Baptist salvages the series and improves to 3-4.
 
CHIPPING AWAY
The Gaels fell behind early, with a 3-0 deficit to climb out of after a shaky start from Dalton Ponce, who only got one out. The Gaels got single runs in the fourth, fifth, and eighth innings, and scored each of those runs without a hit. In the fourth, Nick Mistone hit his second sacrifice fly in the series to make it 3-1. In the fifth, Ryan Novis bounced out to short to score the Gaels second run, and made it 3-2. In the eighth, Saint Mary's finally brought the game back to even when Mistone hit a ball to third, and the Lancers threw home to try and cut down Christopher Campos trying to score. The ball was dropped at the plate, allowing Campos to slide in safely, tying the game at 3-3.
 
DIDN'T LAST LONG
With Saint Mary's holding all of the momentum, one would think their bullpen would come through and keep the game even heading into the ninth. For the first time this season, the bullpen faltered, allowing five runs to score in the eighth inning. Chris Santiago got the ball to start the inning and faced just one batter, walking the leadoff man before being relieved for Jackson Hulett. After a strikeout and a single, Hulett allowed a three-run home run fron Ulises Caballero to left field to deliver the big blow to SMC, making it 6-3 at the time. It took the Gaels three pitchers to get out of the frame, suddenly down 8-3 before Justin Banks hit a two-run home run in the ninth to make it 8-5.
 
HONORABLE MENTION
The Gaels might not have even had a chance to come back on Sunday had it not been for the relief efforts of Ryan Taurek. Entering in the first inning already down 2-0, Taurek allowed just one run in 6.1 innings of work, the longest outing of his collegiate career. He surrendered just two hits, one walk, and struck out three in the relief appearance that saw the Gaels make it 3-2 with him on the mound. What's more impressive is that Taurek retired 15 batters in a row, or five innings' worth of hitters, from the end of the second into the seventh inning.
 
UP NEXT
Saint Mary's will ready themselves for another four-game non-conference series, this time against Cal. The series will feature four game across four days, beginning on Thursday night in Berkeley. Cal will host the first two games of the series before the Gaels will be the home team at Louis Guisto Field on Saturday and Sunday.