Photo by: Saint Mary's Athletics / Tod Fierner
BASE | LMU Comeback Sparked by Gaels Errors in Finale
3/20/2022 11:23:00 PM | Baseball
LOS ANGELES – Saint Mary's dropped the series finale at LMU on Sunday 10-9 after leading 8-3 at at the seventh inning stretch. It was the second day in a row the Lions had a late-inning comeback.
The game had a controversial ending as SMC had the tying run 90 feet away. Hunter Hirayama scored on a Marc Goulart ground out to cut it to 10-9, and it appeared Javy Espinoza was hit by a pitch to put runners on the corners. But unfortunately for the second time in the series, the Gaels were denied the hit by pitch as the umpire said Espinoza leaned or turned his leg into it on a two-strike count, thus ending the game. Most observers on all sides and no sides felt the Saint Mary's super sub had just reflexively turned to protect himself.
But it was more unfortunate that it ever came to that call due to the bottom of the seventh getting away from the Gaels. A passed ball plated the first run for the Lions, an error at third led to led to another, and a base hit drove in two more to make it a one-run game at 8-7. A bases-loaded walk tied the game at 8-8, but no earned runs were charged to Ryan Wiltse in a five-run inning for LMU.
Chris Santiago homered again in the seventh for his second of the game and fifth of the season to put Saint Mary's up 8-3. The Walnut Creek, Calif. native would be that the runner that was 90 feet away in the ninth, but switched from third to the mound in the eighth. There, he was on the other side of a two-run homer that put the Lions ahead 10-9 in the 9th.
The Gaels went up 3-1 in the second inning with a rally that featured Santiago's second over-the-monster, moonshot in as many days, Dalton Mashore plating Blake McDonald, and Blake Mann driving in Mashore.
The Gaels extended their lead in the third on an opposite-field, solo shot over the wall in left from Christian Almanza, his fourth of the year, for a 4-1 lead. Gaels tacked on another when Christoper Campos drove in Nick Mistone with a single to right and they were up 4-1 after the top of the fourth.
The Lions got one run off Conner Roberts in the first due to two wild pitches from the Gaels starter, but otherwise he was off to another good start and allowed just one earned run with no walks and five strike outs in 4.1 innings.
McDonald drove in Almanza and Mashore had a sac fly in the fifth to put Saint Mary's up 7-2. LMU scratched across a run off a defensive miscue in the fifth as they did in the fourth to make it 7-3, as the Gaels defensive miscues would let the Lions hang around in the early innings along with tying it late.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Santiago was 4 for 5 at the plate with two RBI and three runs scored. Almanza walked and scored to go along with his solo homer and Nick Mistone was 2 for 4 with a run scored.
UP NEXT
Saint Mary's will return home to face UC Santa Barbara on Tuesday, March 22 at 3:00 p.m. in Moraga.
The game had a controversial ending as SMC had the tying run 90 feet away. Hunter Hirayama scored on a Marc Goulart ground out to cut it to 10-9, and it appeared Javy Espinoza was hit by a pitch to put runners on the corners. But unfortunately for the second time in the series, the Gaels were denied the hit by pitch as the umpire said Espinoza leaned or turned his leg into it on a two-strike count, thus ending the game. Most observers on all sides and no sides felt the Saint Mary's super sub had just reflexively turned to protect himself.
But it was more unfortunate that it ever came to that call due to the bottom of the seventh getting away from the Gaels. A passed ball plated the first run for the Lions, an error at third led to led to another, and a base hit drove in two more to make it a one-run game at 8-7. A bases-loaded walk tied the game at 8-8, but no earned runs were charged to Ryan Wiltse in a five-run inning for LMU.
Chris Santiago homered again in the seventh for his second of the game and fifth of the season to put Saint Mary's up 8-3. The Walnut Creek, Calif. native would be that the runner that was 90 feet away in the ninth, but switched from third to the mound in the eighth. There, he was on the other side of a two-run homer that put the Lions ahead 10-9 in the 9th.
The Gaels went up 3-1 in the second inning with a rally that featured Santiago's second over-the-monster, moonshot in as many days, Dalton Mashore plating Blake McDonald, and Blake Mann driving in Mashore.
The Gaels extended their lead in the third on an opposite-field, solo shot over the wall in left from Christian Almanza, his fourth of the year, for a 4-1 lead. Gaels tacked on another when Christoper Campos drove in Nick Mistone with a single to right and they were up 4-1 after the top of the fourth.
The Lions got one run off Conner Roberts in the first due to two wild pitches from the Gaels starter, but otherwise he was off to another good start and allowed just one earned run with no walks and five strike outs in 4.1 innings.
McDonald drove in Almanza and Mashore had a sac fly in the fifth to put Saint Mary's up 7-2. LMU scratched across a run off a defensive miscue in the fifth as they did in the fourth to make it 7-3, as the Gaels defensive miscues would let the Lions hang around in the early innings along with tying it late.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Santiago was 4 for 5 at the plate with two RBI and three runs scored. Almanza walked and scored to go along with his solo homer and Nick Mistone was 2 for 4 with a run scored.
UP NEXT
Saint Mary's will return home to face UC Santa Barbara on Tuesday, March 22 at 3:00 p.m. in Moraga.
Players Mentioned
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