MORAGA, Calif. – Saint Mary's Baseball took game one of their three-game set against the USF Dons on Friday afternoon by a score of 3-2.
 
Both teams threatened to take big leads early on, but good defensive plays by each side kept the other from putting together a rally.
 
The Gaels struck first in the first when clean-up hitter Kyle Velazquez singled to right field to drive in Gavin Napier who had a base hit right up the middle to start the inning. SMC would leave the bases loaded and come away with just the run one, but still had jumped out to a 1-0 lead.
 
San Francisco would load the bases in the fourth with two out, but starting pitcher Ryan Taurek was up to the task, getting the Dons leadoff man and best hitter to fly out to center to end the threat.
 
Taurek wouldn't need much run support on the day, but his offense delivered in the bottom of the sixth when Trey Winget blasted a no doubt home run over the wall in right center. It was the transfer from Gateway College's first homer as a Gael as the sophomore got the start at designated hitter and put Saint Mary's up 2-0.
 
That was immediately followed by a Seth Nager home run that hit the top of the wall in right and left the park for his fourth home run of the season.
 
Taurek would work into the seventh getting the first batter to fly out to left before walking the next two. The Santa Ana, Calif. native would exit the game with just four hits allowed and four walks to a career-high nine strikeouts. He hadn't allowed a run to that point, but was still responsible for the two runners on.
 
Ryan Daugherty came in to face the left-handed left fielder of the Dons, and was fortunate to get an interference call on the runner going to second for the second out of the inning before Jack Snook replaced him.
 
Snook allowed a single and then threw his first wild pitch of the season allowing a runner to score before striking out the Dons third baseman to end the inning up 3-1.
 
Nathan Schneider would work a scoreless ninth before Chris Santiago would switch from first base to the mound to close it out. He would allow a solo home run to cut it to 3-2, but got former Gael Gabe Giosso to fly out to end the game.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
The 6.1 innings were a season high for Taurek and his 102 pitches were also a career high.
 
Napier recorded his 15th multi-hit game of the season. Nager extended his on-base streak to five games with and has six hits in his last seven contests.
 
The Gaels are now 12-0 when they hold their opponent to two runs or less and are 11-6 when they score in the first inning.
 
UP NEXT
Game two of the series is set for 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 7 at Louis Guisto Field.