MORAGA, Calif. – Saint Mary's Baseball opened WCC play with an extra-inning roller coaster ride that had unfortunate injuries, verbal exchanges, and a ninth inning rally, but resulted in a 5-3 loss to the Santa Clara Broncos on Friday.
 
A pair of RBI singles from the Broncos gave them the early lead in the top of the third inning. Brothers, Dawson and Cole Brigman, delivered the two hits making it a family affair in the early going.
 
Derik Eaquinto started the day for the Gaels with four innings of efficient work, though his day was ended by a line drive that connected with his left wrist in the top of the fifth. He completed the play with a smooth glove flip over to first, but the lefty ace could no longer continue pitching. Eaquinto's day was done after 62 pitches and allowing two runs with four strikeouts.

SMC cut into the deficit in the bottom half of the fourth when Bill Ralston scored on a throwing error from the Broncos' second baseman trying to turn a double play on a Coleman Schmidt ground ball, cutting the score to 2-1 in favor of Santa Clara. Nathan Chong would also have to be removed from the game however after being struck in the head by a pitch in the fourth.
 
Tempers flared between the two familiar foes in the top of the eighth inning when a Bronco slid into second baseman Hunter Hirayama on a 5-4-3 double play turned by the Gaels. Players exchanged words after the slide into second and warnings were issued by the home plate umpire who wanted to discourage any more of it in the series.
 
Entering the bottom of the ninth the Gaels still trailed by just one run. Ralston started the inning off with a lead-off single into right field and was pinch run for by freshman Cody Kashimoto. After a sacrifice and a productive out moved Kashimoto to third with two outs, he scored on a passed ball to even things up and force extra innings as the Gaels dugout erupted.
 
After a scoreless tenth frame, the Broncos scored three runs in the top of the eleventh. Malcolm Williams and JonJon Berring were the two responsible for the clutch hits, giving the Broncos a 5-2 lead. This lead was too much for another Gaels rally to overcome, as Saint Mary's pushed one across on another throwing error, but it was not enough to climb back in the 5-3 loss.
 
Skylar Halas picked up the win for the Broncos pitching both of the extra innings.
 
UP NEXT
The Gaels take on the Broncos in a doubleheader Saturday to finish the opening conference series for the 2023 season, with first pitch for game one set for 11:00 a.m. at Louis Guisto field.