BSB | Gaels Set for Rubber Match on Sunday After 9-5 Defeat to Waves

Saturday, March 21

Moraga, CA

4:00 PM

Saint Mary's College of California

12-10, 1-1

Pepperdine

5-17, 1-1

Pepperdine

Saint Mary's

#24 Talin Gardini: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 3 SO, ND

Photo by: Varun Aravind (@vflicks04)

BSB | Gaels Set for Rubber Match on Sunday After 9-5 Defeat to Waves

3/21/2026 9:30:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

MORAGA, Calif. - The Saint Mary's baseball team dropped game two of its conference opening series with Pepperdine, 9-5 Saturday evening. Both starters would get no-decisions in quality outings, but the Waves offense tacked on seven runs over their final three at-bats to seal the four-run victory.

Multi-hit performances for the Gaels came from Makoa Sniffen, Dario Freschi and Cody Kashimoto. Kashimoto's two-hit game pushed his hit streak to a season high 15 games, while Sniffen doubled twice to raise his season total to seven, good for second most on the team. Tanner Griffith homered in the third inning, his second of the season, to initially put Saint Mary's in front, 2-0.

The Gaels eight-game win streak over the Waves dating back to 2024 came to an end, but they'll look for the series win in the rubber match on Sunday.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Sophomore southpaw Talin Gardini made his first start of the season, after being used primarily as a bullpen arm for the Gaels, coming into Saturday's game with six appearances on the season. Gardini was in good form to start the year, and looked sharp again on Saturday, finishing his outing with five innings pitched and just one run allowed.

The Gaels got on the board first, thanks to a two-run homer from Griffith, his second of the season. Griffith scored Freschi on the play to give Saint Mary's a 2-0 lead in the third. Pepperdine would scrape one run across in the fifth before Gardini departed, but the Gaels still held a 2-1 lead going into the sixth.

Redshirt junior Noah Waldeck would start the sixth for the Gaels, and tossed some nice pitches but got unlucky with weak contact and bloop hits. A fielding error started the inning and, the Waves were able to plate the tying run two batters later on a 6-4-3 ground ball double play. Waldeck went on to induce a groundout to first to end the inning, with the game tied at two.

Pepperdine would make its move over the final three innings, where it combined to score seven runs over its final three at-bats, including a solo home-run in the ninth inning from Trey Dunn. The Gaels did not go quietly though, as they scored three runs over their final two at-bats, and even loaded the bases in the ninth, bringing the tying run to the plate in the form of Brayden Gutierrez. Gutierrez delivered a pinch-hit RBI single in the eighth, and would get one more crack at things in the ninth, but sent a 1-0 pitch to the warning track in right field, where it was caught for the final out. The Waves would hang on for the 9-5 victory to set up the rubber match on Sunday.

GAME NOTES

Saint Mary's got to ten hits in the ninth inning, marking the 18th time this season with double-digit hits.
Makoa Sniffen led the Gaels with three hits for his ninth multi-hit game of the season.
Sniffen also had two doubles in the game, and now sits in second place on the team with seven.
Kashimoto pushed his hit streak to 15 games, going 2-for-2 with a run scored.
Dario Freschi made his fourth start of the season in the DH spot for the Gaels and went 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
Griffith connected on his second home run of the season and the fifth of his career.
Gardini made his first start on the mound this season and completed five innings, allowing just one run off of five hits.
Redshirt freshman Max Johnson made his first collegiate appearance on the mound for the Gaels.
Brayden Gutierrez recorded his second career hit and RBI, with his pinch-hit RBI single in the eighth inning.

LOOKING AHEAD

Sunday's rubber match will take place at 1:00 PM at Luis Guisto Field at Br. Ronald Gallagher Stadium. Tickets can be bought online at smcgaels.com/tickets and you can catch all the action live on ESPN+.

Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.

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