Friday, March 6
San Diego, CA
6:00 PM
Saint Mary's College of California
8-5
2
at
3
San Diego State
9-5
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Saint Marys
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
5
1
San Diego State
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
X
3
8
4
#25 John Damozonio: 6.0 IP, 6 H,1 R, 5 SO, no decision
BSB | Gaels Drop Series Opener to Aztecs in 3-2 Pitching Duel
3/6/2026 11:05:00 PM | Baseball
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The Saint Mary's baseball team got stellar pitching performances from starter John Damozonio and reliever Talin Gardini but an 8th inning home run gave San Diego State the 3-2 win in game one of the series Friday night.
Damozoni made his fourth start of the season as the Gaels' Friday starter and matched his career high with six innings pitched. During that span, the Gaels struck first with a two-out two-RBI double from Diego Castellanos to take a 2-1 lead in the first inning. They held that lead all the way into the eighth inning but the Aztecs got a big two-out hit of their own, hitting a home run to swing the game and take a 3-2 lead going into the ninth.
Brady Petit reached base on an error in the top of the mint but Jacob Johnson went down swinging to end the game in a tight 3-2 defeat in game one.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Saint Mary's (8-5) got on the board first Friday night and took advantage of a two-out base runner as Castellanos doubled to score Jacob Johnson from second and Makoa Sniffen came around to score from first on a throwing error on the play. The Gaels took a 2-0 lead but San Diego State would get one back in the bottom half of the first with a double of its own to make it a one-run game.
Despite three combined runs in the opening inning, both pitchers settled into the game and threw six consecutive scoreless frames as the Gaels held on to a 2-1 lead. Damozonio pitched to contact, did not walk a baserunner and finished his outing with just one unearned run and five strikeouts.
The Gaels only had five hits on the night but managed to leave a baserunner on in each inning of play, giving themselves plenty of chances to tack onto the lead. Their next best scoring opportunity came in the fifth as the Gaels loaded the bases with two outs. After a mound visit from the Aztecs pitching coach, sophomore catcher Ian Armstrong jumped on the first pitch he saw only to line-out to the shortstop to end the threat and leave the bases loaded.
San Diego State made four errors in the ballgame but managed to stay within striking distance going into the eighth. Sophomore southpaw Talin Gardini took over for Damozonio in the seventh and after securing a clean frame in the bottom of the seventh, the Aztecs would finally strike with a one-out two-run homer to take a 3-2 lead.
The Gaels threatened again in the top of the ninth, getting a one-out baserunner on second off another SDSU error. A strikeout and a fly out though would strand Brady Petit at second to end a tightly contested ballgame and a well-pitched contest from both staffs.
The five hits for the Gaels came from five different players including Johnson, Sniffen, Castellanos, and senior infielders Jared Mettam and Cody Kashimoto. Despite the two-run homer, Damozonio and Gardini combined for just two earned runs and seven strikeouts as the head coach Eric Valenzuela will have fresh arms and plenty of depth for the final two games of the series.
GAME NOTES
LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Mary's will take on San Diego State in game two of the series Saturday night at 5:00 p.m. Live stats and recap can be found at smcgaels.com.
Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.
#GaelsRise
Damozoni made his fourth start of the season as the Gaels' Friday starter and matched his career high with six innings pitched. During that span, the Gaels struck first with a two-out two-RBI double from Diego Castellanos to take a 2-1 lead in the first inning. They held that lead all the way into the eighth inning but the Aztecs got a big two-out hit of their own, hitting a home run to swing the game and take a 3-2 lead going into the ninth.
Brady Petit reached base on an error in the top of the mint but Jacob Johnson went down swinging to end the game in a tight 3-2 defeat in game one.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Saint Mary's (8-5) got on the board first Friday night and took advantage of a two-out base runner as Castellanos doubled to score Jacob Johnson from second and Makoa Sniffen came around to score from first on a throwing error on the play. The Gaels took a 2-0 lead but San Diego State would get one back in the bottom half of the first with a double of its own to make it a one-run game.
Despite three combined runs in the opening inning, both pitchers settled into the game and threw six consecutive scoreless frames as the Gaels held on to a 2-1 lead. Damozonio pitched to contact, did not walk a baserunner and finished his outing with just one unearned run and five strikeouts.
The Gaels only had five hits on the night but managed to leave a baserunner on in each inning of play, giving themselves plenty of chances to tack onto the lead. Their next best scoring opportunity came in the fifth as the Gaels loaded the bases with two outs. After a mound visit from the Aztecs pitching coach, sophomore catcher Ian Armstrong jumped on the first pitch he saw only to line-out to the shortstop to end the threat and leave the bases loaded.
San Diego State made four errors in the ballgame but managed to stay within striking distance going into the eighth. Sophomore southpaw Talin Gardini took over for Damozonio in the seventh and after securing a clean frame in the bottom of the seventh, the Aztecs would finally strike with a one-out two-run homer to take a 3-2 lead.
The Gaels threatened again in the top of the ninth, getting a one-out baserunner on second off another SDSU error. A strikeout and a fly out though would strand Brady Petit at second to end a tightly contested ballgame and a well-pitched contest from both staffs.
The five hits for the Gaels came from five different players including Johnson, Sniffen, Castellanos, and senior infielders Jared Mettam and Cody Kashimoto. Despite the two-run homer, Damozonio and Gardini combined for just two earned runs and seven strikeouts as the head coach Eric Valenzuela will have fresh arms and plenty of depth for the final two games of the series.
GAME NOTES
- Jacob Johnson extended his on-base streak to 12 games while Tanner Griffith went 0-for-5 to have his on-base streak end at 11 games
- Damozonbio matched his career high with six innings pitched and how now pitched 5+ innings in three of his four starts this season
- Gardini got hung up for the loss but made his fourth appearance of the season and lowered his ERA to 2.25 on the season
- The Gaels now have a team ERA of 4.04 for second lowest in the WCC
- Castellanos leads the WCC with six doubles on the season and is now hitting .380 from the plate through 13 games
- For the fifth time this season, Saint Mary's pitching has allowed three runs or fewer
LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Mary's will take on San Diego State in game two of the series Saturday night at 5:00 p.m. Live stats and recap can be found at smcgaels.com.
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: Russell, Aidan (2-0)
L: Gardini, Talin (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Castellanos, Diego 1
RBI: Castellanos, Diego 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Sniffen, Makoa 1 ; Johnson, Jacob 1
SB: Kashimoto, Cody 1
HBP: Petit, Brady 1
Batting:
2B: Peterson, Tyce 1
HR: Peterson, Tyce 1
RBI: Peterson, Tyce 3
SH: Rutter, Drew 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Peterson, Tyce 1 ; Trosky, Jabin 2
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
C
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