MORAGA, Calif. - The bats only got hotter in game three of the series as Saint Mary's swung their way to a 16-3 win over Saint Louis to improve to 2-1 on the season. This is the first time in program history Saint Mary's has recorded 15+ runs in back-to-back games as they recorded a run in each inning (program records go back to 1971). The Gaels finished the afternoon with 16 hits and had seven players with multiple hits to showcase a balanced offensive attack.
Also writing his name into the program record book was head coach
Eric Valenzuela who recorded his 216th win as the Gaels head coach in his second stint dating back to 2014. Valenzuela left Saint Mary's after six seasons in 2019 with 180 wins and the program's first NCAA Regional appearance in 2016 but then returned last season in 2024 and recorded 37 wins to put him within two of the record. Valenzuela now stands alone with a SMC record of 216-179.
Freshman
Noah Waldeck got his first collegiate start for the Gaels but would leave the game in the third with a no decision after giving up three runs. Redshirt junior
Garret Plata would come in and throw two scoreless innings to earn his third career victory. Offensively, the Gaels scored two runs in both the second and third inning and then broke things open with a four-run fourth and a six-run sixth to seal the 16-3 victory. Saint Mary's had five extra base hits including a three-run shot down the left field line from
Ryan Pierce for his first of the season.
Both teams traded sacrifice flies in the opening inning and then the Gaels would put together back-to-back two-out rallies the next two innings, combining for four runs on five hits. Freshman catcher
Ian Armstrong got his second start behind the dish and doubled down the right field line to keep the inning alive.
Diego Castellanos would send him home with a hard ground ball off the second baseman. Then,
Cody Kashimoto doubled to the right center gap to score Castellanos from first. The Billikens plated two runs in the top half of the inning to take a 3-1 lead but saw it disappear with the Gaels two-out rally in the bottom half to knot the game up at three.
In the third, a
Jared Mettam single and a wild pitch would put runners on second and third and allow Armstrong to record a two-RBI single to right field, allowing the Gaels to retake the lead 5-3. Armstrong finished 2-for-4 on the day with a pair of RBI's, sending both hits to the opposite field. After allowing three runs in the first two innings, the Gaels bullpen would hold Saint Louis scoreless over the next five innings, allowing just two hits during that span.
In the fourth, Saint Mary's would load the bases with no outs after singles from Kashimoto and Pierce and a hit by pitch for Griffith.
Eddie Madrigal would rip a single through the left side to score the speedy Griffith and Kashimoto. Two batters later,
Aiden Taurek got in on the action with a two-RBI single up the middle to score Madrigal and Pierce and extend their lead to 9-3.
A six-run sixth inning would put the nail in the coffin for the Billikens as their bullpen had no answer for the contact hitting Gaels offense. Mettam and Castellanos would record back-to-back doubles to score three more runs for the Gaels, pushing their lead to 13-3.
Two batters and a pitching change later,
Ryan Pierce would send the first pitch he saw deep down the left field line over the foul pole for his first home run of 2025. The three-run shot sealed the 16-3 win as Pierce finished the day 3-for-4 with a team high four RBI's. Since going hitless in game one of the series, Pierce has gone 5-for-8 with five RBI's, a double and a home run.
Garret Plata got the win and freshman right hander
Diego Emerling made his collegiate debut and threw 2.2 innings of scoreless baseball, striking out three batters. Through three games, Saint Mary's leads the WCC with a .392 batting average, three home runs, eight doubles, 38 hits and 36 runs scored.
LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Mary's improved to 2-1 on the season with another dominant win over the Billikens. They will play the series finale on Sunday, February 16th with first pitch slated for 10:00 AM. Live stats can be found at smcgaels.com and you can stream the game live on ESPN+. Tickets can be bought online at smcgaels.com/tickets.
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