MORAGA, Calif. — Saint Mary's Baseball set out on Sunday afternoon to earn a four-game series sweep against the Pacific Tigers. Things seemed to be in their favor until the later innings rolled around, when the Tigers used a late surge to score six runs in the final two innings and overcome the Gaels, taking the Sunday series finale by a final score of 7-5. Saint Mary's still wins three out of four in the series, but drops to 9-7 overall while the Tigers improve to 6-7.
 
FOUR SPOT IN THE FIRST
After Ryan Taurek set down the Tigers in order to begin the ballgame, Saint Mary's came out swinging hot bats in the first. Ryan Ellis opened the game with a single and was followed by walks to Jacob Talamante and Ryan Novis. With the bases loaded, Justin Banks sent a deep fly ball to left field that resulted in a sacrifice fly, giving SMC a 1-0 lead. After a second out, Blake Mann sent a soft bouncer to shortstop that he beat out, but it scored two runs as Novis was able to motor home from second base without stopping, putting Saint Mary's up 3-0. Marc Goulart kept the inning alive with a single, and then Nick Mistone doubled home Mann with a shot to right center, and the Gaels had chased Hunter Schilperoort form the contest with four early runs.
 
TURNING POINT
Saint Mary's had not lost a game all season in which they led after seven innings, but that changed on Sunday. Up 5-1 in the eighth inning, Chris Santiago was on for his second inning of work. He allowed a single, a strikeout, and then a walk to put two runners aboard with one down. That's when things fell apart for the Gaels. Two more singles were slapped through the infield, to score a run and keep the bases loaded. With a 5-2 score, Jack Snook came on to try and clean up the mess. He induced a shallow pop up to right field, but it landed fair for another hit, and then a second single was allowed by Snook after a line drive got just past Javy Espinoza at second. Michael Hobbs was then summoned from the bullpen with a 5-4 lead and the bases still loaded and coaxed a sacrifice fly but nothing else, and suddenly the Tigers had tied the game at 5-5 in the eighth.
 
LAST CALL
The Tigers took the lead in the top of the ninth inning thanks to a pair of sacrifices that worked to perfection. Casey Candiotti came in to open the inning and hit the first batter he saw, which then brought on Dalton Ponce. After a walk, a bunt single from Alex LeForestier on an attempted sacrifice loaded the bases with nobody out. Pacific scored on a sacrifice fly from James Arakawa and a safety squeeze bunt from Ben Nemivant, and took a 7-5 lead into the bottom of the ninth. Talamante reached on a two-out single, but Novis struck out to end the ballgame and any chance at a series sweep.
 
UP NEXT
Saint Mary's will remain at home next week with four games on the schedule, including their first WCC series since 2019. Up first is a non-conference game on Tuesday against San Francisco. First pitch against the Dons at Louis Guisto Field is scheduled for 3:00 pm.