BERKELEY, Calif. — Saint Mary's began a split series against Cal on Thursday night, playing the first two games of the series in Berkeley before the series shifts to Louis Guisto Field on Saturday and Sunday. Both teams entered the series having won three out of four last weekend, and both teams had scored 34 total runs on the year, making this an intriguing matchup. The Bears proved to be too much for the Saint Mary's pitching staff on Thursday night, hitting their way to a 16-3 victory over SMC. Cal improves to 5-4 while Saint Mary's matches the Bears' record after their second-straight loss.
 
LOT OF ONES
The Gaels offense was about as evenly spread as possible on Thursday night, with seven different players recording hits, and three different players scoring in three separate innings. The Gaels got on board in the top of the third, when JC Santini led off the inning with an infield single, but moved up to second on an errant throw. He eventually came around to score on an Eric Smelko singled up the middle, making it 2-1. In the sixth, Nick Mistone bounced out to third but scored Justin Banks. Mistone came up again in the seventh and singled with the bases loaded to drive home his second run of the game.
 
BIG INNINGS HURT
Thursday's series opener could have been drastically different had it not been for the crooked numbers Cal put up. Five times, the Bears scored at least two runs in an inning, including six in the fifth inning and four more in the sixth. The tone was set offensively in the first when Quentin Selma hit a two-run home run to open the scoring. In the fifth, Gaels starter Carlos Lomeli was chased from the game when Nathan Martorella launched a three-run home run on a line to right field, making it 10-1 at the time. In the sixth, it was Martorella again homering, crushing a ball into Edwards Stadium with a grand slam.
 
NIGHT OF FIRSTS
Thursday night marked the most runs the Gaels have allowed as a team since May 14 at San Diego State, when the Gaels allowed 20...it marked the most runs scored in this rivalry since SMC scored 24 at home against Cal on April 11, 2017…Diego Moran made his collegiate debut on the mound and struck out the first batter he faced…Nathan Chong pinch hit in the top of the eighth and recorded the first hit of his collegiate career.
 
UP NEXT
The teams will lock up again tomorrow afternoon as Saint Mary's and Cal hit the diamond at 3:05 pm for first pitch. The game was originally scheduled for 5:05 pm again, but moved up two hours because of potential rain in the Bay Area. Sam Bower will get the ball for the Gaels, looking to build on his start to the season that has seen him allow just one run without a walk across his first two starts.