LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Saint Mary's has had a flair for the dramatic all season long and they added to that trend Friday night with one of the most memorable comebacks in program history, erasing a six-run deficit and scoring 14 unanswered runs to defeat four-seed LMU 18-11. With the win, the Gaels advanced to the championship game for the first time since 2019 and will have a shot at their first WCC Tournament title and an NCAA Regional appearance since 2016.
LMU jumped out to a 10-4 lead with three home runs over the first five innings of the ballgame as they continued to swing a hot bat in the conference tournament. The Gaels went on to showcase their grit and toughness and found a way to score 14 unanswered runs and take a momentous 18-10 lead. A six-run fifth inning would tie the game at ten apiece as
Aiden Taurek put the exclamation point on the inning with a three-run homer to tie things up.
Brian Duroff added a three-run homer in the seventh and then
Eddie Madrigal and
Aiden Taurek recorded a pair of RBI doubles to help put the game out of reach for the Lions. Senior
Daniel Guevara Castro picked up his first career win with 3.2 innings in relief, allowing just one run off two hits.
An all-time comeback for the Gaels resulted in a trip to the WCC Championship game for the first time since 2019. They will take on the winner of LMU and San Diego who are scheduled to play later this evening in an elimination game at Las Vegas Ballpark.
HOW IT HAPPENED…
LMU and Saint Mary's stood as the two best offenses going into Friday night's game as the Lions landed the first punch with five runs over the first two innings including a pair of home runs from Nate Savoie and Beau Ankeney. The Gaels responded with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the second to break up their momentum and keep within striking distance.
3RD INNING
Freshman
Sam Kretsch replaced starter
John Damozonio at the end of the second and was able to induce a 5-4-3 inning ending double play to get out of the third and get Saint Mary's back to the plate.
At the plate,
Ryan Pierce would keep the scoring going with his 14th homer of the season to the deepest part of the yard. His solo shot would cut the deficit to just two runs heading into the fourth.
5TH INNING
After a three-run homer from Ankeney in the fourth and a two-out two-RBI single in the top of the fifth, LMU pushed their lead back to six runs and saw the light at the end of the tunnel and a trip to the WCC Championship game in their sights.
Saint Mary's was due for a big inning though as the league's top offense, averaging over eleven runs per game in this year's conference tournament. That big inning would come in the bottom half of the fifth as the Gaels put up six runs including a three-run home run from
Aiden Taurek to tie the game at ten for a brand new ballgame.
7TH INNING
Saint Mary's started to find their groove at the plate as they went on to record three straight leadoff doubles in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. As a result, they scored a combined eight runs over their final three at bats to seal the 18-11 victory. In the seventh,
Ryan Pierce singled to left field to plate
Tanner Griffith who led the inning off with his seventh double of the season.
Brian Duroff then skied his eighth home run of the season the very next at bat to give Saint Mary's a 15-10 lead.
RBI doubles from
Aiden Taurek and
Eddie Madrigal in the eighth inning would get the Gaels to a tournament high 18 runs. On the mound,
Derik Eaquinto made his second appearance of the tournament and completed a full inning of work as he finished off the fifth and got the first out in the sixth before departing for
Daniel Guevara Castro.
Castro made his 20th appearance of the season and second on the week and was absolutely stellar, pitching a career high 3.2 innings and earning his first collegiate win in his two seasons as a Gael. Castro allowed just one run off two hits and struck out three batters in the process. After giving up a solo shot in the ninth, he induced a fly ball out to Griffith in center to end the game and help send Saint Mary's to the WCC Championship.
The Gaels offense racked up 14 hits on the night and erased a six-run deficit while scoring 14 unanswered runs into the ninth inning. Madrigal had his best game of the tournament so far with a four-hit night and three RBI. Taurek also had three hits and a career high five RBI including his three-run homer to tie the game in the fifth inning. The bottom of the lineup was solid again for the Gaels, combining for three hits and two RBI from the 7-9 spots. The bottom three hitters in the lineup for Saint Mary's have a combined .306 batting average over the course of the season, helping contribute to a .302 team average to lead the WCC and rank inside the top-60 in all of Division I.
LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Mary's improved to 34-23 overall and have now won eight games in a row, their longest win streak since starting the season 11-0 in 2022. They will play in the WCC Championship game on Saturday, May 24th at 1:00 PM. Tickets can be bought online and the game can be streamed live on ESPNU. The winner will earn an automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Regional. and represent the West Coast Conference on the national stage.
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