SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The Gaels offense exploded late in game two of Saturday's doubleheader to give them the 10-3 victory over Sacramento State. The Hornets walked-it off in game one with an RBI single with the bases loaded in the ninth but that seemed to only spark the Gaels offense as they belted two home runs in game two and put up a four-spot in the ninth inning to earn their eleventh win of the season in the night cap.
Eddie Madrigal crushed two homers on the day including a three-run moonshot in the ninth to make it 10-3 in game two.
Diego Castellanos had the other home run in the eighth inning on what was an absolute no-doubter to right field for his fourth of the season.
Junior transfer
Donovan Chriss made his fifth start of the season and got through four innings, allowing just two runs while striking out five Hornet batters.
Garret Plata would start the fifth for the Gaels and allow just one run to earn his team leading third win of the season.
John Damozonio was also stellar with his best outing of the season, completing three scoreless innings allowing just two hits.
Noah Waldeck shut the door for good in the ninth with a pair of strikeouts to seal the seven-run victory.
GAME ONE SMC 3-4 SAC
Four of the game's seven runs would come in the first two innings as Saint Mary's struck first thanks to an RBI single from
Eddie Madrigal. Madrigal has been the complete hitter for the Gaels in the middle of their lineup, leading the team in home runs and RBI.
After giving up three runs in the first two innings, senior
Dylan Delvecchio would settle down nicely and get through 5.1 innings allowing just the three runs and striking out a game high seven batters.
A pair of RBI doubles would give Sacramento State the lead in the bottom half of the first to make it 2-1. They would add another in the second with a two-out single to right field to give them an early two-run lead.
Both pitchers would settle down in the middle innings but not before a two-run bomb from Madrigal for his fifth homer of the season. Madrigal would ignite the Gaels offense once again and tie the game up at three in three innings to play. According to Trackman inside John Smith Field, Madrigal's two-run shot traveled 406 feet and came off the bat at 101 MPH.
The Gaels would have a chance to retake the lead in the top of the ninth inning, loading the bases with hits from
Cody Kashimoto and
Brian Duroff and a hit by pitch to
Aiden Taurek.
Diego Castellanos would come to the plate but the Hornets reliever came up with a clutch punch out to keep the Gaels off the scoreboard.
Makoa Sniffen would send a fly ball to the warning track the next at-bat but Sac State would get out of the jam to keep the game tied at three.
The very next inning, the Hornets offense would mimic the start from Saint Mary's but this time cash in with a walk-off RBI single through the infield to take game on 4-3. A leadoff single and two walks would load the bases with one out, forcing Saint Mary's to bring the infield in. The next batter for the Hornets would rifle a ground ball through the middle of the infield to win the game.
Kashimoto had a career day, finishing 4-for-4 from the plate with a run scored. Kashimoto had never had a three-hit game prior to today, having recorded seven games with two hits this season.
Eddie Madrigal was also solid in game one going 3-for-4 from the plate with three RBI. He leads the team with five homers and now 22 RBI on the season.
Senior lefty
Derik Eaquinto was the third pitcher in the game for the Gaels, completing the seventh and eighth inning allowing just one walk and no hits. After a couple of rocky starts for the veteran ace, Eaquinto got some action out of the pen and was terrific in a couple of high leverage innings. Freshman
Diego Emerling got credit for the loss allowing the RBI single in the bottom of the ninth.
GAME TWO SMC 10-3 SAC
Saint Mary's jumped out first once again in game two with a three-run second inning.
Makoa Sniffen,
Diego Castellanos and
Tanner Griffith all reached base to load the bases with just one out. Freshman catcher
Brett Williams would come to the dish with a chance to record his first collegiate hit and RBI and the young buck from Carlsbad would do just that with a sinking line drive into left field to plate Castellanos and Sniffen.
Fellow freshman Micah Nicholoson would come up next and lay down a beautiful suicide squeeze to score the speedy Griffith from third. The Hornets first baseman would come charging in to field the bunt but Griffith bet the glove flip to the plate to give the Gaels a 3-0 lead.
Saint Mary's held a 4-3 lead heading into the final three innings but the bats would spark again with home runs from Castellanos and Madrigal to break the game open. Freshman infielder
Brady Petit would take advantage of a pinch-hit opportunity in the seventh, singling down the right field line to score Williams from second for his third RBI of the season.
The big bats would then come to play in the eighth and ninth inning. Castellanos would crush his fourth homer of the season over the second wall in right field to make it 6-3 Gaels. Madrigal would follow suit in the ninth with what felt like the nail in the coffin for Sacramento State, a three-run blast for his team leading sixth home run of the season.
Six of the team's ten hits came in the final three innings as Saint Mary's split the Saturday doubleheader with the Hornets and have now won two of their last three games. In his first collegiate start,
Brett Williams had himself a day going 4-for-4 from the plate along with two RBI and two runs scored. Four different freshmen recorded hits on the day for Saint Mary's as head coach
Eric Valenzuela has shown no hesitation to go to his young players early in the season and give them opportunities to succeed.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Gaels improve to 11-8 on the season after their 10-3 victory over Sacramento State on Saturday. They will return to Br. Ronald Gallagher Stadium for a single game against Cal on Tuesday, March 18th before hitting the road for another big three-game series against Big East member Creighton starting on Friday, March 21st. Tickets can be bought online at smcgaels.com/tickets and you can stream Tuesday's game live on ESPN+.
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