MORAGA, Calif. — Sunday's series finale between Saint Mary's Baseball and San Diego showed why both teams will be strong competitors in the WCC this season. San Diego's offense was on full display early in the game, while the Saint Mary's pitching staff responded well over the last six innings of the game. Despite a rally in the ninth inning that nearly saw the Gaels erase a three-run deficit, San Diego held on and walked away with a 5-4 win to earn a series win to begin WCC play. Saint Mary's is now 11-9 (1-2) while the Toreros are 13-4 (2-1).
 
NINTH INNING DRAMA
Down 5-2 in the ninth inning with the San Diego closer on the mound, things looked bleak for Saint Mary's. They made it interesting in a hurry against Kieran Shaw, as Gabe Giosso opened up the inning with his third hit of the afternoon. After a pop out to second base, Eric Smelko entered the game as a pinch hitter and worked walk, bringing the tying run up in the form of Ryan Ellis. With two strikes, Ellis sent a ball through the right side of the infield for an RBI-single, making it 5-3. Jacob Talamante then walked on five pitches to load the bases for Ryan Novis, who was hit by a 2-2 offering from Shaw to make it 5-4, with just one out. Ivran Romero came into the game for San Diego and was able to escape disaster by striking out Jack Murphy and coaxing a flyball from JC Santini to end the game, with the Gaels leaving the bases loaded.
 
TALE OF TWO GAMES
Ky Bush drew the start for Saint Mary's, and his afternoon can be categorized by splitting the day into two games. He allowed five runs on 11 hits in the first three innings of play, putting the Gaels into 5-0 hole early. Once he got out of the third inning, he found a groove and stayed in it for the remainder of the ballgame. Over the final 3 innings of work, beginning with the last out of the third, Bush allowed just two hits and was able to work 5.2 innings overall after the rocky beginning. He left after throwing 99 pitches, a season-high.
 
SETTING THE STAGE
Things got interesting late in the ballgame thanks to some big moments and performances leading up to the ninth inning. After not getting a hit until the fourth inning, Saint Mary's got three-in-a-row with two outs, capped off by a Nick Mistone two-run double down the left field line to give Saint Mary's their first two runs of the game. All of that could have been for naught had the Gaels pitching staff not settled in and quieted the dangerous bats of the Toreros. Over the final 6.1 innings of the afternoon, Gaels pitching held the Toreros to just two hits, while the combination of Ryan Taurek and Christopher Campos out of the bullpen held USD hitless for 3.1 innings. Taurek was particularly impressive, striking out four over 2.1 innings.
 
UP NEXT
Saint Mary's will rest up for their first road WCC series of the season as the Gaels head down to Malibu to take on the Pepperdine Waves in a three-game series beginning on Friday, March 26. The Waves were picked first in the preseason WCC polls, and will represent another great test for the Gaels to begin the 2021 WCC season.