MORAGA, Calif. - For the first time this season, Saint Mary's has won back-to-back series after taking down LMU in the rubber match 9-4. The Gaels got good action out of their bullpen which featured six relievers in the game and also smashed a season high four home runs including two in the sixth inning.
Freshman
Sean Cannon would get credit for his first collegiate win after a clean frame in the fifth inning.
Eddie Madrigal capped off a stellar weekend with his fourth home run of the series and a team high three hits. Freshman catcher
Ian Armstrong also had three hits and scored a pair of runs and senior
Brian Duroff broke out of his slump with a pair of hits including his third home run of the season.
The Gaels now sit in fifth place in the WCC standings and are just two games out of third as they will head to Stockton next weekend to take on Pacific in more conference action.
HOW IT HAPPENED…
1ST AND 2ND INNING
Junior right hander
John Damozonio made his third start of the season as head coach
Eric Valenzuela rolled out the same starting rotation for the second consecutive week. Damozonio worked around some trouble in the top of the first as LMU took a 1-0 lead. That lead would be short-lived for the Lions though as
Aiden Taurek would belt his fourth homer of the season and second of the week to put the Gaels back in front 2-1.
Eddie Madrigal singled to start the bottom half of the first and then two batters later, Taurek would send a shot out to left center to give Saint Mary's their first lead of the ballgame.
LMU would answer with a pair of runs of their own in the top of the second, taking advantage of a crucial throwing error by the Gaels shortstop. The Lions would retake the lead with a pair of unearned runs, making it 3-2.
Both teams would go on to trade places if you will through the first two innings. Two runs by the Gaels in the first, two by the Lions in the second. One run for LMU in the first, one run for Saint Mary's in the second. That lone run for the Gaels would come off the bat of Madrigal and a ground out to first base. Catcher
Ian Armstrong doubled to the left center gap to start the inning and eventually found his way to third base with less than two outs, allowing himself to score on the Madrigal ground ball.
4TH INNING
After retiring the leadoff man to start the fourth, Damozonio would surrender three straight singles to give LMU the lead once again. He would go on to walk dangerous power hitter Beau Ankeney to load the bases with just one out. Valenzuela would go to the pen and call on freshman lefty
Talin Gardini.
Gardini would get some stellar defense behind him as the very next batter lined into a double play to third base.
Ryan Pierce snagged the low liner and doubled up the runner at second to end the inning in dramatic fashion.
The Gaels took that energy and momentum from a great defensive play into the dugout and as a result took the lead back thanks to a two-run shot from sophomore
Tanner Griffith. Griffith battled to a full count and crushed a hanging breaking ball into the right field netting for his second homer of the season and third of his career.
LMU's pitcher would go on to walk three straight batters to load the bases but got
Brian Duroff to fly out to limit the damage to just the two-run home run from Griffith. The Gaels were back in front 5-4.
6TH INNING
Freshman
Sean Cannon and senior
Derik Eaquinto would record scoreless frames on the mound to get the Gaels into the seventh inning. Before that though, Saint Mary's did more damage in the sixth to break the game open. It started with another Madrigal moon shot to right field for his fourth of the series.
Cody Kashimoto would follow up with a walk and then find his way to third thanks to a pair of wild pitches from LMU's pitcher. Two batters later, freshman
Brady Petit would strikeout swinging but the ball in the dirt would get to the backstop, allowing Petit to reach first and Kashimoto to score making it 7-4.
Brian Duroff made it hurt some more for the Lions pitcher as he yanked a home run down the left field line on the first pitch he saw to give the Gaels a five-run lead. Duroff has struggled for most of the year but connected on his third home run of the season and also had two hits in the ballgame for his seventh multi-hit game of the season.
LMU got runners on in each of the final three innings but once again the Gaels bullpen shut things down with scoreless frames from
Sam Kretsch,
Noah Waldeck and
Daniel Guevara Castro. Saint Mary's relievers have been really solid over the last few weeks as their team ERA sits just above six for fourth lowest in the WCC.
Saint Mary's has now won seven of their last eight games and stand as one of the hottest teams in the West Coast Conference. They also won their second consecutive series for the first time all season after they swept Pepperdine last week and took two of three against LMU this weekend.
Kashimoto drew three walks for the third time this season out of the two spot behind Madrigal, which has proven to be a great move from Valenzuela and his staff. For his effective inning of relief after the Gaels retook the lead in the fourth, freshman
Sean Cannon got credit for his first collegiate win. Cannon has been great in recent weeks, allowing just four runs over his last eight innings pitched including two starts against San Jose State and Cal earlier this week.
LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Mary's improved to 22-20 on the season and 7-8 in conference play after their 9-4 series finale win over LMU. They will hit the road for a quick trip to Reno to take on Nevada on Tuesday, April 29th. Tickets can be bought online at smcgaels.com.
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