LAS VEGAS – Saint Mary's Baseball opened the WCC Tournament with a convincing 17-8 win over the USD Toreros to advance to the second round against No. 1 seed LMU.
 
The Gaels hit four home runs in the game which tied a WCC Tournament single-game record by LMU in 2000, and their 17 runs scored in a game are second to those same LMU Lions. Almanza would score four times in the time, tying a WCC Tournament single-game record as well.
 
ON A HEATER ON VEGAS
The Gaels opened with a bang, scoring four runs in the first inning. Gavin Napier reached on an error at short, before Bill Ralston singled to right field. After Almanza walked on a full count to load the bases, Nathan Chong lifted a sac fly to deep right to score Napier for a 1-0 lead.
 
The very next pitch was barreled out to deep left by Coleman Schmidt and the Gaels had ambushed the Toreros for a 4-0 lead.
 
USD would get on the board with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second, but SMC would get them right back in the top of the third on another Schmidt home run. This time the Reno, Nev. native belted a no doubter to straight-away center over the 415 marker to make it 6-2 Saint Mary's.
 
The long-ball party wasn't over there, as Bill Ralston's two-out single was followed by Almanza blasting a ball out to deep left over the Gaels bullpen and off the roof of the pool bar on a 3-2 count to extend the SMC lead to 8-2.
 
The Toreros again would get two runs in an inning to make it a closer game at 8-4 in the bottom of the fifth, but Eddie Madrigal drove a laser beam into the pool in right center to increase the Gaels cushion to 9-4.
 
ACE BACK IN THE FOLD
Connor Linchey returned to action for the Gaels after missing a pair of starts with an injury, and delivered five strong innings, allowing just three earned runs with no walks and four strikeouts. His night would end in the seventh after allowing a leadoff single and a wild pitch before Ryan Taurek came on in relief.
 
Taurek recorded a pair of strikeouts to start his outing, before a bloop single into center scored the last runner that belonged to Linchey. Taurek would get a fly out to left to end the seventh inning with the Gaels still in front 9-5.
 
Saint Mary's would make sure San Diego couldn't make it any more interesting by tacking on eight more runs in the top of the ninth. The big insurance inning was highlighted by Blake McDonald's RBI double, Madrigal and Ralston's two-RBI singles to center, and RBI singles from Almanza and Chong.
 
UP NEXT:
The Gaels will take on LMU at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 25 at Las Vegas Ballpark.