SPOKANE, Wash. – It was another convincing win for the Gaels at Gonzaga on Saturday, this time in a 7-1 victory over the Zags to take the first two games of the series. The win moves SMC to 13-10 in WCC play and gives them the tie breaker over Gonzaga in the WCC standings.
 
Ryan Sanders notched his first win of the season by going seven strong innings, allowing just one run on five hits, with two walks and five strikeouts. It was the second-straight solid start for the senior after allowing just two runs in five innings at USF last Saturday.
 
Gonzaga struck first this time with a solo home run in the bottom of the first, but that's all the offense they could muster on the night and Saint Mary's answered in the very next inning.
 
With two outs in the top of the second and Coleman Schmidt standing on third, Dalton Mashore ripped a sinking line drive into center field. The Zags centerfielder made a diving attempt at it, but missed the ball entirely and it rolled all the way to the wall. That allowed Mashore to end up with an inside-the-park home run and a 2-1 Gaels lead.
 
Mashore would add to the SMC lead in the fourth when his sac fly with the bases loaded scored Nathan Chong. The Gaels almost blew the game open that inning but the Bulldog's third baseman made a leaping grab to rob Gavin Napier of extra bases.
 
Saint Mary's would get two more in the fifth when Chong drilled a ball out to deep right field for his fifth home run of the season, scoring he and Almanza for a 5-1 lead. The Zags would threaten in the sixth with two on and two out, but Sanders induced a ground ball to Napier to end the inning.
 
A wild pitch scored Chong in the eighth and Eddie Madrigal singled down the right field line to score Schmidt to round out to the scoring for Saint Mary's. Senior Ryan Taurek would close the game out with two shutout innings and just one hit.
 
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Game three of the series in Spokane is set for 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 7.