SPOKANE, Wash. - Game one of the best rivalry in the West Coast Conference did not disappoint as Saint Mary's held a lead as big as six runs but fell late as Gonzaga scored four runs in the sixth and four runs in the ninth to win 9-8 thanks to a walk-off walk. The Gaels continue to play great baseball down the stretch, putting together timely hitting and getting solid starting performances but four walks and a hit batter would contribute to their collapse in the ninth inning.
Ryan Pierce homered in the top half of the ninth to give the Gaels a three-run cushion for his eleventh of the season, but Gonzaga was able to work tough counts and get runners on with one out. A single and back-to-back walks would load the bases and then a hit batter would bring a runner home to make it 8-6. After a pitching change, the next hitter would single up the middle to score two more runs and tie the game at eight. Freshman
Sean Cannon would get a ground out to short for the second out of the inning but after intentionally walking one of the best hitters in the conference in Mikey Bell, Cannon would see his 3-1 fastball just miss off the outer half of the plate to walk in the game winning run.
The top half of the lineup was stellar for the Gaels as spots 1-5 were a combined 10-for-23 with seven RBI.
Brian Duroff and
Ryan Pierce both left the yard for the Gaels while
Aiden Taurek also had a pair of hits and two RBI. Taurek's two-RBI double in the sixth inning gave him 17 on the season to not only lead the WCC but break into the program's single-season top-ten.
Freshman pitcher
Lukas Sarantos got the Friday start for the fourth week in a row and was on track for his fourth straight win after another solid performance, pitching into the sixth inning allowing just three runs and recording five strikeouts.
Relievers
Sam Kretsch and
Noah Waldeck were equally as good in high leverage situations for the Gaels, combining for two scoreless innings to maintain a two-run lead heading into the ninth. After allowing a leadoff single in the seventh, Kretsch went on to strike out the next three batters in dominant fashion to strand the runner on first. He extended his scoreless innings streak to 8.2 innings, not allowing a run in an appearance since April 12th against San Diego.
Waldeck then put his 8.1 scoreless innings streak on the line and worked around two one-out hits to strand another pair of Gonzaga baserunners. The Zags left a game high 12 runners on base.
One of the most influential statistics on the night came in the walk category as Gonzaga worked seven walks to just two for Saint Mary's with four of those seven coming in the final frame. Head coach
Eric Valenzuela and his group are no strangers to adversity as they are just two wins away from clinching a spot in this year's conference tournament.
LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Mary's fell to 26-23 overall and 10-9 in WCC action. Game two is slated for Saturday, May 10th with a 6:05 PM first pitch. Stream all the action live on ESPN+.
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