BSB | Gaels Outhit Pilots but Fall in Rubber Match, 6-1

Sunday, March 29

Portland, OR

1:00 PM

Saint Mary's College of California

14-13, 2-4

Portland

17-8, 5-1

Saint Mary's

Portland

#20 David Roberts: 2.0 IP,1. H, 1 R, 1 Bb, 1 SO vs. Portland

Photo by: Varun Aravind (@vflicks04)

BSB | Gaels Outhit Pilots but Fall in Rubber Match, 6-1

3/29/2026 5:13:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Saint Mary's baseball team held Portland to just seven hits in Sunday's rubber match but fell 6-1 on the road to drop the series two games to one.

The Gaels had plenty of chances on Sunday afternoon at Joe Etzel Field but were a combined 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position while the Pilots scored six runs off their seven hits. Jared Mettam capped off a solid weekend with an RBI single in the third to get the Gaels on the board, but Portland (17-8, 5-1 West Coast Conference) played clean defense and got crucial outs to strand runners in the sixth and seventh inning.

Senior southpaw Jake Hilton (3-2) took his second loss of the season, surrendering four runs off five hits over his 3.2 innings. The Gaels' bullpen was solid though, combining to allow just two runs off two hits over the final 4.1 innings. Brady Petit, Jared Mettam and Brett Williams led Saint Mary's (14-13, 2-4 WCC) with two hits apiece.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Hilton got into trouble in the bottom of the first, loading the bases with one out. After giving up an RBI single the next at bat, Hilton nearly induced an inning-ending double play on a ground ball back to him at the mound but a bang-bang plat at first would go the way of the Pilots, keeping the inning alive. Portland would cash in with a two-RBI single in the next AB to leave the first inning with a 3-0 lead.

Saint Mary's answered right away though with four hits in the top of the second including a one-out single into center field from Jared Mettam for his 14th RBI of the season. Williams would rifle a single to right the very next at-bat to load the bases with one out, but the Pilots' starter would get a strikeout and a fly out in consecutive at-bats to end the threat.

Saint Mary's threatened again in the top of the sixth after a one-out double from Brady Petit down the third baseline. Two batters later, Mettam came to the dish and put a charge into a pitch to the left field wall, but Portland's left fielder would make a running grab into the wall for the third out to strand Petit at second. The Pilots got one more insurance run in the eighth with a solo home run from Cole Katayama-Stall as Portland took the rubber match 6-1 to win the series.

GAME NOTES

•   Saint Mary's outhit Portland 9-7
•   Mettam went 2-for-4 and recorded his 14th RBI of the season
•   True freshman Ian Josephson made his fourth start of the season
•   Josephson played third for the Gaels and went 1-for-4 from the plate in the game
•   The Gaels bullpen allowed just two runs off two hits
•   Redshirt freshman Max Johnson made his third appearance of the season and pitched 1.2 innings one run off one hit
•   Redshirt freshman David Roberts made his ninth appearance of the season and completed the final two frames for the Gaels, allowing just one run off one hit
•   Saint Mary's recorded its tenth game of the season without committing an error; they are 7-3 this season when not committing an error

LOOKING AHEAD

Saint Mary's will play at Cal on Tuesday for its midweek clash before hosting the Pacific Tigers starting on Friday in week three of WCC action. Tuesday's game can be streamed on the ACC Network while the conference series will be streamed live on ESPN+.

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