Saturday, February 14
Moraga, CA
10:00 AM
Saint Mary's College of California
1-1
7
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Creighton
1-1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Creighton
0
2
0
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0
0
0
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6
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Saint Mary's
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1
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0
4
0
1
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X
7
15
0
#13 Cam Staton: 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 4 SO, WIN (1-0) vs. Creighton
Photo by: Saint Mary's Athletics / Tod Fierner
BSB | Cam Staton Helps Deliver Gaels First Win of 2026, Saint Mary’s Splits Doubleheader
2/14/2026 8:28:00 PM | Baseball
MORAGA, Calif. - The Saint Mary's baseball team split its Saturday doubleheader with Creighton to pick up its first win of the 2026 season, defeating the Bluejays 7-2 in the morning contest. Creighton held on late to win the rubber match 9-8 in game two, ultimately taking the series two games to one.
Junior transfer Cam Staton got his first start as a Gael and threw a gem, pitching six innings allowing just two runs en route to his first win of the season. Jacob Johnson smashed a three-run homer in the fifth to give Saint Mary's a 5-2 lead as they never looked back. The Gaels nearly erased a 7-run deficit in game two of the doubleheader, but Creighton held on by a single run to win 9-8.
HOW IT HAPPENED
GAME 1: Saint Mary's 7, Creighton 2
Saint Mary's got a stellar outing from junior transfer pitcher Cam Staton in game two of the series, which was his first start as a Gael and secured his first win in the process, completing six strong innings allowing just two runs off four hits. Sophomore arms Talin Gardini and Lukas Sarantos took care of the final four innings to seal the 7-2 victory.
At the plate, the Gaels recorded 15 hits to account for their seven runs in the ballgame. Creighton took a 2-1 lead in the second inning with back-to-back solo home runs, but the Gaels would retake the lead for good in the fifth inning with a four-spot. Brady Petit reached base with one out on a hit by pitch and then Diego Castellanos would single to left field to put runners on first and second. Jacob Johnson would come to the plate and mash a 2-0 fastball over the left field wall for his first home run of the season. The three-run blast would put Saint Mary's in front 5-2. Two batters later, Jared Mettam singled to right field to score Nick Allred from second and cap off the four-run fifth inning for the Gaels.
Creighton had just six hits in the game as the Gaels pitching really kept the Bluejays' offense at bay. Talin Gardini threw a scoreless frame in the seventh and Lukas Sarantos finished off the game with two innings, retiring six of the seven batters he faced in his first outing of 2026.
Diego Castellanos had a great game at the plate, recording a career-high four hits along with three runs scored. Jacob Johnson went hitless in game one but broke out for three hits, four RBI and his first home run as a Gael with his three-run shot in the fifth inning. Jared Mettam, Ian Armstrong and Cody Kashimoto each had two hits in the game as well contributing to the 7-2 victory over the Bluejays.
GAME 2: Creighton 9, Saint Mary's 8
The 7-2 victory for Saint Mary's in game one of the doubleheader set up a rubber match to conclude the season-opening series. The Gaels got off to a tough start as Creighton posted seven runs in the first inning, aided by a pair of SMC errors. Despite the slow start, Saint Mary's crawled all the way back, scoring a run in five of the first six innings.
Jacob Johnson doubled in Cody Kashimoto in the first inning to put the Gaels on the board and then catcher Brett Williams singled to right to score Nick Allred in the second. The second inning would see more fireworks for the Gaels as Tanner Griffith belted a two-run home run to make it a three-run ballgame, his first of the season.
After an early departure from starter Noah Waldeck, Jake Hilton and Luis Martin Romero would give quality relief innings to keep the Gaels within striking distance. Hilton pitched two scoreless while Romero went two and two-thirds allowing two runs off three hits.
Down 8-5 heading into the fifth inning, Jacob Johnson would step up again with another no-doubter to left field. The solo-shot would go down as his second of the day and this one traveled 405 feet to make it a two-run ballgame. Creighton got one back in the sixth but that lead would come back down to two runs yet again thanks to an RBI single from Brett Williams.
Two innings later, Williams would strike again with a solo-shot to left field to make it a one-run game. The Gaels had come all the way back and were down 9-8 going into the ninth. The Gaels were able to get a one-out baserunner but Johnson would ground into a game-ending double play, allowing Creighton to hang on for the thrilling 9-8 victory. Saint Mary's outhit Creighton 13-12 in the game but the 7-run first inning proved too much to overcome as they dropped the opening series two games to one.
Tanner Griffith shifted into the leadoff spot and went 2-for-2 including a two-run homer for his first of the season. Jacob Johnson added another two hits to his stat line including his second home run of the day, leading the team now with two on the season. Brett Williams also had three hits getting the start behind the dish and true freshman Ian Josephson recorded his first collegiate hits, going 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI.
Along with Hilton and Romero, left-hander David Roberts made his collegiate debut and was absolutely stellar in relief. Roberts completed four scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and striking out two batters. The trio was vital in the Gaels' comeback, combining for 8.2 innings, two runs allowed and five strikeouts.
GAME NOTES
Saint Mary's ends opening weekend 1-2 after splitting Saturday's doubleheader with Creighton. The Gaels will remain at home and take on CSUN in a three-game series starting on Friday, February 20. First pitch is slated for 2 p.m. PT and tickets can be bought online at smcgaels.com/tickets.
Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.
#GaelsRise
Junior transfer Cam Staton got his first start as a Gael and threw a gem, pitching six innings allowing just two runs en route to his first win of the season. Jacob Johnson smashed a three-run homer in the fifth to give Saint Mary's a 5-2 lead as they never looked back. The Gaels nearly erased a 7-run deficit in game two of the doubleheader, but Creighton held on by a single run to win 9-8.
HOW IT HAPPENED
GAME 1: Saint Mary's 7, Creighton 2
Saint Mary's got a stellar outing from junior transfer pitcher Cam Staton in game two of the series, which was his first start as a Gael and secured his first win in the process, completing six strong innings allowing just two runs off four hits. Sophomore arms Talin Gardini and Lukas Sarantos took care of the final four innings to seal the 7-2 victory.
At the plate, the Gaels recorded 15 hits to account for their seven runs in the ballgame. Creighton took a 2-1 lead in the second inning with back-to-back solo home runs, but the Gaels would retake the lead for good in the fifth inning with a four-spot. Brady Petit reached base with one out on a hit by pitch and then Diego Castellanos would single to left field to put runners on first and second. Jacob Johnson would come to the plate and mash a 2-0 fastball over the left field wall for his first home run of the season. The three-run blast would put Saint Mary's in front 5-2. Two batters later, Jared Mettam singled to right field to score Nick Allred from second and cap off the four-run fifth inning for the Gaels.
Creighton had just six hits in the game as the Gaels pitching really kept the Bluejays' offense at bay. Talin Gardini threw a scoreless frame in the seventh and Lukas Sarantos finished off the game with two innings, retiring six of the seven batters he faced in his first outing of 2026.
Diego Castellanos had a great game at the plate, recording a career-high four hits along with three runs scored. Jacob Johnson went hitless in game one but broke out for three hits, four RBI and his first home run as a Gael with his three-run shot in the fifth inning. Jared Mettam, Ian Armstrong and Cody Kashimoto each had two hits in the game as well contributing to the 7-2 victory over the Bluejays.
GAME 2: Creighton 9, Saint Mary's 8
The 7-2 victory for Saint Mary's in game one of the doubleheader set up a rubber match to conclude the season-opening series. The Gaels got off to a tough start as Creighton posted seven runs in the first inning, aided by a pair of SMC errors. Despite the slow start, Saint Mary's crawled all the way back, scoring a run in five of the first six innings.
Jacob Johnson doubled in Cody Kashimoto in the first inning to put the Gaels on the board and then catcher Brett Williams singled to right to score Nick Allred in the second. The second inning would see more fireworks for the Gaels as Tanner Griffith belted a two-run home run to make it a three-run ballgame, his first of the season.
After an early departure from starter Noah Waldeck, Jake Hilton and Luis Martin Romero would give quality relief innings to keep the Gaels within striking distance. Hilton pitched two scoreless while Romero went two and two-thirds allowing two runs off three hits.
Down 8-5 heading into the fifth inning, Jacob Johnson would step up again with another no-doubter to left field. The solo-shot would go down as his second of the day and this one traveled 405 feet to make it a two-run ballgame. Creighton got one back in the sixth but that lead would come back down to two runs yet again thanks to an RBI single from Brett Williams.
Two innings later, Williams would strike again with a solo-shot to left field to make it a one-run game. The Gaels had come all the way back and were down 9-8 going into the ninth. The Gaels were able to get a one-out baserunner but Johnson would ground into a game-ending double play, allowing Creighton to hang on for the thrilling 9-8 victory. Saint Mary's outhit Creighton 13-12 in the game but the 7-run first inning proved too much to overcome as they dropped the opening series two games to one.
Tanner Griffith shifted into the leadoff spot and went 2-for-2 including a two-run homer for his first of the season. Jacob Johnson added another two hits to his stat line including his second home run of the day, leading the team now with two on the season. Brett Williams also had three hits getting the start behind the dish and true freshman Ian Josephson recorded his first collegiate hits, going 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI.
Along with Hilton and Romero, left-hander David Roberts made his collegiate debut and was absolutely stellar in relief. Roberts completed four scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and striking out two batters. The trio was vital in the Gaels' comeback, combining for 8.2 innings, two runs allowed and five strikeouts.
GAME NOTES
- Jacob Johnson became the first Gael to homer twice in the season-opening series since program great Eddie Madrigal, who homered twice last season in the Gaels' opening series against Saint Louis
- Through three games, Diego Castellanos leads the team with six hits and a .500 batting average
- Saint Mary's hit five home runs in the three-game series with Creighton
- Offensively, the Gaels hit .358 from the plate, averaging six runs and over 12 hits per game in the series
- Cam Staton made his SMC debut and earned his first win as a Gael, completing six innings allowing just two runs off four hits
- Ten total players made their SMC debuts this weekend
Saint Mary's ends opening weekend 1-2 after splitting Saturday's doubleheader with Creighton. The Gaels will remain at home and take on CSUN in a three-game series starting on Friday, February 20. First pitch is slated for 2 p.m. PT and tickets can be bought online at smcgaels.com/tickets.
Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.
#GaelsRise
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Staton, Cam (1-0)
L: Jimmy Burke (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Rocco Gump 1
HR: Chris Baillargeon 1 ; Teddy Deters 1
RBI: Chris Baillargeon 1 ; Teddy Deters 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Chris Baillargeon 1 ; Teddy Deters 1
HBP: Nick Venteicher 1
PO: Rocco Gump 1
Batting:
2B: Armstrong, Ian 1 ; Castellanos, Diego 1 ; Allred, Nick 1
HR: Johnson, Jacob 1
RBI: Kashimoto, Cody 1 ; Johnson, Jacob 4 ; Mettam, Jared 1
SH: Allred, Nick 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kashimoto, Cody 1 ; Petit, Brady 1 ; Castellanos, Diego 3 ; Johnson, Jacob 1 ; Allred, Nick 1
SB: Griffith, Tanner 1
CS: Griffith, Tanner 1
HBP: Griffith, Tanner 1 ; Petit, Brady 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
3
H
4
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
3
RBI
4
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
5
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
OF
/ BaseballC
/ BaseballOF
/ BaseballLHP
/ BaseballOF
/ BaseballLHP
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball1B/OF
/ BaseballRHP
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballLHP
/ BaseballRHP
/ BaseballLHP
/ BaseballRHP
/ BaseballC
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