MORAGA, Calif. – It was a tale of two games in Friday's season-opening double header, as Oakland University took game one 5-0, before the Gaels offense erupted in game two for a 13-2 win to earn an opening-day split.
 
GAME ONE
The potent SMC offense was kept off balance by Oakland Ace Hunter Pidek in game one. The Golden Grizzlies hurler worked incredibly quickly, and that pace kept the Gaels hitters from getting comfortable and stringing together hits, which prevented them from building any sustained rallies over Pidek's seven scoreless innings.
 
The Golden Grizzlies offense showed the ability to work counts and get on base, which put Saint Mary's starter Connor Linchey in some jams right away. Oakland scratched across a run in the top of the third for a 1-0 lead before Linchey's first 1-2-3 inning of the game in the fourth.
 
But in the fifth, the Golden Grizzlies would break through for a crooked number. Oakland got a pair of two-out singles before coach Eric Valenzuela went to the mound to chat with Linchey. The next pitch got a little too much plate and was blasted into deep right center off the scoreboard for a three-run homer to make it 4-0.
 
Linchey would finish the inning before Dylan Delvecchio would make his Saint Mary's debut, and was solid in relief, allowing just one more run on a bloop single while eating up the game's final four innings. Saint Mary's would get six hits in the first game, with only shortstop Jerad Mettam having more than one hit.
 
GAME TWO
The second game of the double header was a different story, with the Gaels striking first and adding on throughout the game.
 
SMC put up four runs in the fourth inning and would lead the rest of the way. Coleman Schmidt doubled to left center and Nathan Chong singled him home, before Connor Harrison singled up the middle to plate Chong for a 2-0 lead. That was followed by Dalton Mashore's blast to the left of the batter's eye in center to make it a 4-0 on Mashore's first home run of the season.
 
The Golden Grizzlies would answer with a pair of the runs in the top of the fifth and chase starter Derik Eaquinto with two outs and the bases loaded. It looked like Eaquinto got out to the inning and stranded a pair of runners with a strikeout, but a passed ball through the legs of the freshman catcher Harrision allowed the runner to reach before a two-RBI double made it 4-2.
 
That led to the Gaels going to another veteran lefty in Ryan Sanders, who got a ground out to get SMC out of the bases-loaded jam. Sanders would pitch three more scoreless innings in relief to get the win, while the Saint Mary's offense would unload on the Golden Grizzlies pitchers.
 
Three Gaels hitters would hit their first home runs at Saint Mary's, including one in his first collegiate at bat. Left fielder Brian Duroff would launch a solo shot to deep left for his first as a Gael after coming over from Chabot College that started a five-run sixth.
 
A Mettam sac fly, an RBI double by Gavin Napier, and a two-run bomb out to deep right by Christian Almanza completed the big inning for Saint Mary's and put them up 9-2.
 
Two freshmen from De La Salle High would get their first collegiate dingers in the seventh inning, as Tanner Griffith belted a two-run shot in his first at bat after coming in as a defensive replacement. That was followed later by a two-run blast from Harrison to cap the scoring in the 13-2 win.
 
Sophomore Adam Enyart would close out the game pitching a scoreless ninth with two strikeouts. The Gaels mashed 15 hits on their way to the game-two rout, nine for extra bases, including five home runs. The five long balls matched last season's team high of five against LMU last April.
 
UP NEXT
The series finale is slated for Sunday at noon, as the expected rain in the forecast for Saturday led to today's double header.
 
Saint Mary's full schedule can be viewed here and season tickets can be purchased by clicking here. 
 
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