MORAGA, Calif. – Saint Mary's Baseball blasted four home runs and had 17 hits in their 15-5 win over Air Force on Tuesday afternoon. Christian Almanza hit a pair of two-run dingers and Shawn McBroom picked up his first collegiate win with three perfect innings.
 
The Gaels actually fell behind early after an RBI triple off the left-field wall put Air Force ahead 1-0 in the top of the second, but SMC would answer emphatically in the bottom of the inning. It started with a Brian Duroff home run (8) to left that tied the game at 1-1 for Duroff's fourth-straight game with a solo homer.
 
After Ryan Pierce ripped a base hit in to right center, Nathan Chong hit a two-run shot (5) to right field to put the Gaels ahead 3-1. It was the third time Chong's hit an opposite-field home run this season.
 
Saint Mary's wasn't done there, as Almanza doubled home Jerad Mettam, and Dalton Mashored doubled to plate Gavin Napier and Almanza to make it 6-1 Gaels to cap off a six-run inning.
 
The Falcons would get one run back in the top of the third to make it 6-2, and would make things really interesting in the fifth with a three-run inning to cut the SMC lead to 6-5.
 
But Saint Mary's would answer right back in the bottom of the fifth when Almanza barreled a ball off the scoreboard in right center for his first two-run homer (10) of the game to put the home team up 8-5.
 
Shawn McBroom would enter the game in the sixth and really settled things down for SMC. He worked quickly and rarely fell behind in counts, throwing three scoreless innings with two strikeouts.
 
In the sixth, Ryan Pierce doubled down the line in the sixth to score Duroff to extend the advantage to 9-5. Almanza would do it again later in the sixth inning on a moon shot to right with Mettam on base and it was 11-5 Gaels.
 
They would tack on in the seventh with a two-RBI double from Napier to score Mettam and Chong, and a Mashore double down the left-field line scored Napier to put Saint Mary's up 14-5. Aiden Taurek pinch hit in the eighth and delivered a sac fly to score Tanner Griffith from third to complete the scoring at 15-5.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
The Gaels are 6-2 now when they score 10-or-more runs, and are 9-2 when they hit two-or-more home runs in a game. It was Almanza's sixth game with three-plus hits this season, and the second time he's driven in four-or-more runs.
 
UP NEXT
The Gael will host conference foe Gonzaga from Thursday, March 28 to Saturday, March 30.

#GaelsRise – Saint Mary's full schedule can be viewed here and season tickets can be purchased by clicking here.