MORAGA, Calif. - Saint Mary's will host Cal State Northridge on Tuesday, April 1st at 3:00 PM before resuming conference action on the weekend against Portland. The Gaels returned from San Francisco with a 1-2 record which featured an extra-innings victory on Saturday, scoring four runs in the tenth inning to come from behind. Tanner Griffith had an RBI double to start the scoring in the tenth and then Eddie Madrigal crushed a three-run homer to right field for his team leading eighth of the season. 

The Gaels have struggled on the mound in recent weeks but still boast the best offense in the WCC with a team batting average of .285. Saint Mary's will embark on a crucial five-game homestand into the weekend and also get the chance to host two of the top teams in the conference in Portland and San Diego who have a combined conference record of 8-4.  
GAME COVERAGE

BSB | Saint Mary's vs. CSUN | Br. Ronald Gallagher Stadium
Moraga, Calif. | April 1st | 3:00 PM
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets

GAELS OUTLOOK 

Extra Inning Magic…

After dropping four straight and losing the conference opener to San Francisco 14-6, Saint Mary's had quite the gut check going into the weekend. They responded with a gutsy extra-inning win over the Dons, coming from behind 2-0 and scoring four runs in the tenth to win 7-3. 

Donovan Chriss made his seventh start of the season and got into the fifth inning before departing for Daniel Guevara Castro. The Gaels bullpen was stellar, allowing just one run over the final five innings. USF tied things up in the bottom of the ninth to force extras but the Gaels tacked on four more to take a 7-3 lead, featuring an RBI double from Tanner Griffith and then a three-run shot from Eddie Madrigal for his eighth of the season. 

The Gaels offense came up with some clutch two-out hits to help tie the game. Diego Castellanos tied the game at two with a double to the left-center gap and then Brian Duroff doubled in the ninth to take a 3-2 lead. 

This was the team's first extra-inning win since February of last season when they defeated Utah Valley 8-7 in ten innings thanks to a walk-off homer from Ryan Pierce. Also homering in that game to force extras was Eddie Madrigal. 

One Bad Inning…

The Gaels have continued to battle at the plate and put up quality numbers but have struggled on the mound, ranking 5th in the WCC with a 6.34 team ERA. In recent struggles, the Gaels pitchers have allowed one-inning explosions for the opposing team that put them in a deep hole for the remainder of the game. 

Out of their last three games, SMC pitchers have given up four innings with four-plus runs. Without those innings, the Gaels have outscored their opponents 12-8. When Saint Mary's limits big innings their offense has proven to score late and keep them in ballgames. They lead the conference with a .285 batting average and rank second with 185 runs scored. 

Series History…

Saint Mary's and Cal State Northridge will meet for the first time since 2022. The Matadors have gotten the best of the Gaels in recent memory, sweeping their three-game series in 2022, holding the Saint Mary's offense to just six runs over their three games. 

In their previous series in 2017, Saint Mary's would sweep CSUN down at their place including a 4-3 extra-inning victory in the opener. The Gaels are an even 9-9 against the Matadores dating back to 2012 and they will look for their first home win over CSUN since 2015. 

ABOUT THE MATADORS (Big West)

CSUN enters the week with a 6-17 record and a 3-19 record in Big West action. Despite what their record shows, the Matadores have played several quality opponents including 16th ranked UC Santa Barbara and 16th ranked Oklahoma. They went a combined 0-6 in those games and also started conference play 0-6 with series sweeps to UCSB and UC Irvine. 

They grabbed their first conference wins against Bakersfield, winning two of three before dropping another series to Hawaii the week after. With only 19 home runs, the Matadors have relied on small ball to score runs. Andrew Becker leads all hitters with a .342 average while redshirt freshman Kyle Panganiban has a team high 27 hits and a .300+ average. 

As a staff, they rank dead last in the Big West with a team ERA of 8.06. Diego Gutierrez and Ryan Halamicek anchor the rotation with 14 combined starts but just three wins combined. Max Mendes and Logan Miller have been solid out of the bullpen for CSUN, combining for 22 appearances and a 4.65 ERA. 

Eddie Cornejo enters his third season as head coach of the Matadors and sixth overall with the program in 2024-25. In 2024, Cornejo guided CSUN to its third consecutive 30-win season for the first time since 1996-98. Additionally, CSUN reached another benchmark in its history with its fourth-straight winning conference record for the first time as a D-1 program. The Matadors were picked to finish sixth in this year's Big West Preseason Poll. 

First pitch is scheduled for 3:00 PM at Br. Ronald Gallagher Stadium. Catch all the action live on ESPN+ and get your tickets online at smcgaels.com/tickets.   

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