MORAGA, Calif. – Saint Mary's Baseball clinched their four-game series against Utah Valley in an extra-inning thriller, winning 8-7 on a walk-off home by third baseman Ryan Pierce. It was the second home run of the game for Pierce, who helped fuel the Gaels comeback over the Wolverines as well.

GAME ONE... NINTH
Game two of yesterday's double header was suspended after the eighth inning around 6:00 pm local time due to a lack of daylight at Brother Ronald Gallagher Stadium, and was resumed at 11:00 am on Sunday.

The Gaels finished it by pushing one run across in the ninth before losing 9-4. The first scoring was done by the Wolverines when Matthew Schwarz delivered an RBI single in the second inning.
 
Utah Valley took over in that game with a big fifth inning when they hit three home runs. The first was a 3-run home run hit by Daniel Dickinson to take the lead 4-3. Nate Bach and Calyn Halvorsen hit back-to-back solo home runs later in the fifth to extend the lead. Utah Valley broke it open from there when Isaac Lovings hit a solo home run of his own in the top of the sixth, and then Burke Camper drove in two more on his single in the eighth.

GAME TWO/FOUR
The Gaels wasted no time striking in the first inning of the scheduled 1:05 game for Sunday, when Almanza doubled to left center to score Napier, then Chong grounded out to bring Almanza in for another run and an early 2-0 lead.
 
Utah Valley started hitting home runs again in response when Matt Olive hit a two-run home run in the second to tie the game at 2-2. Nate Bach also hit a two-run home run in the fifth to take a 4-2 lead. Matthew Schwarz hit an RBI single through the left side and Cole Jordan would end up scoring later in the fifth on a passed ball to extend the lead to 6-2.
 
Dalton Mashore hammered a solo home run to right field, cutting into the lead and making the score 6-3 after five. But Utah Valley quickly answered when Halvorson singled to score Olive in the top of the sixth. Ryan Sanders threw 2 innings only allowing one run to keep things close.
 
Then the Gaels began the comeback in the sixth inning when Almanza scored on a wild pitch during Pierce's walk. Pierce then came back up in the eighth hitting a two-run home run out to deep right for his second of the season. Eddie Madrigal followed up Pierce with a pinch-hit solo home run to tie the game 7-7.

Preston Howey threw 3.2 shutout innings with five strikeouts to keep the Gaels in it and force extra innings, and would collet the win when Pierce hit a walk-off solo home run to clinch the series for the Gaels on a no doubter to left in the bottom of the 10th.
 
UP NEXT:
Saint Mary's will head to Seattle for a four-game series with Seattle University from Friday, March 1-3.

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