RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Saint Mary's Baseball racked up 33 runs over a double header with UC Riverside on Saturday, winning game one 20-11 and game two 13-4. The two big offensive outputs gave the Gaels wins number 10 and 11 on the season to extend their program-best start to 11-0.
 
GAME ONE
The Gaels jumped out to a 2-0 lead in game one when Nathan Chong tripled in Gavin Napier and Nick Mistone singled to bring in Chong. They scored eight runs in the third inning to go up 10-1 with Chong driving in two more in Napier and Christian Almanza, along with Seth Nager driving in Marc Goulart and Kyle Velazquez for the biggest blows of the inning.  
 
But the Roadrunners scored five in the bottom of the third and two more in the fourth to cut the Gaels lead to 10-8. But SMC kept pouring it on with two runs in the fifth, sixth, and eighth innings, with four runs scored in between in the seventh.
 
The long ball powered the Saint Mary's offense for the late-inning scoring. Nager hit a two-run dinger in the fifth, Almanza belted a two-run shot in the seventh and hit a solo homer in the eighth, and Chong added a two-run homer in the seventh as well.
 
The Gaels kept the Highlanders to just three runs after their outbursts in the third and fourth to win 20-11.
 
Conner Roberts managed to give the Gaels three innings on a day where the ball certainly had some carry down in Riverside. Nathan Schneider got the win and was the only Gael to not allow a run in the first game in an inning and 2/3, and Preston Howey had the longest outing as he threw the final four innings.
 
Chong and Napier each finished 4 for 5, with Chong driving in four runs and Napier scoring four runs. Almanza finished 3 for 4 with two dingers. Nager finished 2 for 5 with 4 RBI and Velazquez was 2 for 4 with three runs driven in.
 
GAME TWO
The Gaels found themselves down 3-2 going into the fifth but got two triples in the inning, with one from Napier that drove in Nager and a three bagger from Chong to plate Campos. There was a sac fly from Almanza in between to score Napier and SMC was up 5-3.
 
They led 5-4 going into the sixth before getting a run in the sixth, three more in the seventh and eighth, and one more in the ninth without allowing another run to UC Riverside. Christopher Campos and Blake McDonald each drove in runs in the seventh, and Campos, Chong, and Hayden Driggs each had an RBI in the eighth before an RBI double by Almanza capped off the scoring in the ninth.
 
Owen Cuffe started game two for the Gaels and went 3.2 allowing three runs and walking three batters to four strikeouts, but it was Ryan Wiltse who had the best day on the bump for Saint Mary's going 5.1 innings and allowing just one run with three strikeouts and no walks.
 
UP NEXT
The series finale with the Roadrunners is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. Sunday.