MORAGA, Calif. — Tuesday afternoon marked a return to non-conference play as Saint Mary's Baseball hosted Cal on a mid-week contest. The Gaels and Bears had already met on four occasions this season, with Saint Mary's taking the most recent game on March 7 at home. This time around, Saint Mary's and Cal were locked in a pitcher's duel that lasted until the eighth inning, when Cal scratched across the eventual winning run, leading to a 3-2 win for the visitors. With the win, Cal now ups their record to 18-13 while Saint Mary's falls to 14-16.
 
CASE OF THE TWOS
Both Saint Mary's and Cal scored their first two runs of the game in the fourth inning, and it appeared as if those runs might hold up for the duration of the game. Justin Banks reached on a fielding error at first base to begin the inning, and after a wild pitch and a groundout, he was standing on third. Both JC Santini and Nathan Chong were hit by pitches, leading them up for Javy Espinoza. The Gaels second baseman put a charge into one that was nearly tracked down in deep right field, but resulted in a long single and the first RBI this year for Espinoza. A sacrifice fly from Coleman Schmidt, resulting in his first collegiate RBI, tied the game at two, where the score would hold until the eighth inning.
 
CASE OF THE Ks
Saint Mary's pitching found its stride on Tuesday against Cal hitters, striking out 13 across nine innings of work. Since it was a staff game, seven pitchers threw for Saint Mary's, with everyone getting at least three outs. Five of the seven pitchers recorded multiple strikeouts, led by Carlos Lomeli, Preston Howey, and Ryan Sanders, who each struck out three. Ryan Taurek got the start and pitched a scoreless first with two strikeouts, and Jackson Hulett followed with two strikeouts of his own. Also pitching for the Gaels was Jack Snook, who worked a clean fifth, and Liam Steigerwald, who made quick work of the Bears in the ninth on just seven pitches.
 
CASE OF THE UNEARNED RUNS
Two of the three runs scored for Cal were of the unearned variety, including the game-winning run in the eighth inning. Both unearned runs came on passed balls, with the first occurring in the fourth inning, when Quentin Selma scored to make it 1-0. A fielder's choice scored the second run of the inning, with that run being charged as the unearned run. In the eighth, a runner at third base scored with two outs after a passed ball, when the Gaels were one strike away from escaping the inning without a run scoring. That wound up being the decisive run, and Cal held on for the win.
 
UP NEXT
Saint Mary's gets back into WCC play this weekend as they welcome in Santa Clara for a three-game series, beginning on Friday afternoon at 3:00 pm. The Gaels have had great success against the Broncos in recent years, winning 10 of the last 12 matchups against their Bay Area rivals. Saturday and Sunday's games will be played at 1:00 pm.