BERKELEY, Calif. - Saint Mary's Baseball came back from a 5-2 deficit by scoring three runs in the fifth to tie the game and five runs in the sixth to secure the 10-5 win at Cal on Tuesday night.
 
Christopher Campos gave the Gaels their first lead of the night with a solid base hit to left to go up 6-5. That was followed two batters later by a monster grand slam to deep right field off the top of the Edwards Stadium bleachers by Christian Almanza to put the Gaels up 10-5 and SMC never looked back.
 
Cal struck first in the bottom of the first with a base hit up middle and a double that sliced into right center for 1-0 lead. Starter Owen Cuffe dropped in a beautiful breaking ball with bases loaded and 3-2 count for out number two. But a bouncer in the dirt made it 2-0 Cal on the wild pitch and Cuffe then walked the bases loaded which led to a pitching change. The Gaels went to Ryan Sanders who got SMC out of the bases-loaded jam with a ground ball to first.
 
The Gaels answered in the top of the second as Chris Santiago, Blake Mann, and Blake McDonald all walked to start the inning. After a Cal pitching change, another walk to Trey Winget got the Gaels on the board. That was followed by a sac fly from Dalton Mashore to tie it at 2-2.
 
Saint Mary's could have gotten more when Javy Espinoza drove a base hit to center, but the Gaels sent Santiago from second and he was thrown out at the plate. The Gaels had the inning end on the bases as well on a double steal. The Bears threw to second to get Espinoza who tried to stay in a run down long enough so Winget could score after stealing third, but the Bears were able to nab Winget trying going back to third to end the inning.
 
The Bears get one back on an error at short in the bottom of the second for a 3-2 Cal advantage, but a diving play by Mann in right field kept it from being a big inning for Cal.
 
The Bears scratched across a run in the third and the fourth as well, but the Gaels answered in the fifth. Mashore singled and stole second, and Nathan Chong went other way to drive one through the four hole and make it a 5-3 game. A Santiago base hit up the gut cut it to one, and a bases-loaded walk by Marc Goulart tied the game.
 
In the big sixth inning, Mashore walked on four pitches and Espinoza got an infield single before the Campos liner into left. That was followed by a Chong walk before the Almanza grand slam made it 10-5 on his sixth home run of the season.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Saint Mary's used five different pitchers for the Tuesday night affair, with the best outing coming from Los Medanos College transfer Connor Linchey, who threw three scoreless innings and got the win with just one walk and three strikeouts. Jackson Hulett pitched a scoreless eighth and ninth to close it out for the Gaels.
 
Campos went 4 for 6 and Chong was 3 for 4 with each recording an RBI and two runs scored. Santiago and Mann both finished 2 for 4 and Espinoza was 2 for 5.
 
UP NEXT
The Gaels are home for a three-game set with the BYU Cougars from Thursday to Saturday at Louis Guisto field.