Sunday, April 12
Santa Clara, CA
3:00 PM
Saint Mary's College of California
21-14, 8-4
15
at
11
Santa Clara
13-21, 3-9
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Mary's | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 15 | 19 | 0 |
| Santa Clara | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 17 | 3 |
#38 Ian Armstrong: 4-for-5, HR (7), 2 R, 3 RBI, hit for cycle in 15-11 win vs. Santa Clara
BSB | Gaels Come From Behind Once Again in Instant Classic, Beat Broncos 15-11 in 13 Innings
4/12/2026 11:18:00 PM | Baseball
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Saint Mary's baseball team took Santa Clara to 13 innings to complete another wild comeback, defeating the Broncos 15-11 to secure the West Coast Conference series sweep.
Sunday's series finale with the Broncos was originally scheduled for 12 p.m. but the game would come to an end after 8:30 p.m. after a two-hour rain delay and then a five-plus hour affair on the field. Saint Mary's (21-14, 8-4) erased a five-run deficit over the final three innings which included a game tying home run from Makoa Sniffen in the top of the ninth inning to force extras. The Gaels then took the lead in back-to-back innings in extras but would finally shut the door in the 13th inning with a five-run frame including a no doubt two-run shot from Diego Castellanos.
Redshirt sophomore Finn Chapman would get credit for his second collegiate victory and first of 2026 after pitching 1.1 innings including preserving the 10-10 tie in the bottom of the 12th. Fellow sophomore Sam Kretsch would replace Chapman after the first two outs in the bottom of the 13th and get the final out in what was his second consecutive appearance. Kretsch picked up the win with 3.1 innings of work on Saturday and was originally scheduled to be down for Sunday's series finale, but was called into action with the Gaels needing one out to secure the sweep.
At the plate, Saint Mary's would tally 15 runs off 19 hits, both figures tying their season high as the WCC's leading offense. After scoring just two runs through the first six innings of the ballgame, the cardiac Gaels erupted for 13 runs over the final seven innings including eight runs in extras. Amidst all the chaos Saint Mary's catcher Ian Armstrong accomplished an incredible feat, recording the program's second ever cycle after hitting an RBI double in the top of the 13th. Amazingly, Ian Armstrong and Ian Josephson have recorded the program's first two cycles within a four-day span. Saint Mary's had three four-hit games from the likes of Diego Castellanos, Makoa Sniffen and Ian Armstrong and also belted a season high four home runs in the contest.
HOW IT HAPPENED
An absolutely insane ballgame got off to a tough start for Saint Mary's as Santa Clara (13-21, 3-9) jumped out to a 7-2 lead through the first six innings. The Broncos chased SMC starter Jake Hilton after just 2.1 innings to get into the bullpen. The Gaels did connect on back-to-back home runs in the third inning after no doubt shots from Ian Armstrong and Brady Petit to cut the deficit to one. The Broncos would tack on two more though in the bottom half of the frame to maintain control.
Once again, the Gaels got the offense going over the final three innings, tallying five runs including a game tying home run from Makoa Sniffen in the ninth to knot the game at seven and force extras. Santa Clara nearly walked it off in the bottom of the ninth and tenth, loading the bases in both innings. The Gaels hung tough though and made some stellar defensive plays to keep the Broncos off the board and strand the bases loaded in back-to-back innings. Jacob Johnson made a diving catch in left to end the ninth inning and then Lukas Sarantos got back-to-back outs in the tenth to send the Gaels back to the plate with the game still tied at seven.
After a quiet eleventh inning from both teams, Saint Mary's and Santa Clara would trade leads in the 12th. The Gaels struck first with three runs all on two-out magic. Jacob Johnson came up with his first hit of the ball game after striking out four times and going into the at bat 0-for-6 from the dish. Johnson doubled down the left field line to score Dario Freschi from first and give the Gaels an 8-7 lead, their first of the game. After a pitching change, the Gaels recorded two more RBI hits from Castellanos and Sniffen to take a 10-7 lead into the bottom half of the 12th.
Despite the game feeling nearly complete, Santa Clara rallied for three runs of their own to tie the game at ten. Sarantos would depart with one out and a runner on third for Finn Chapman but once again, the Gaels found a way to keep the game alive as Chapman induced back-to-back ground outs to strand the winning run on third and send the Gaels back to the plate in 13th.
The 13th inning would finally prove to be the decider for Saint Mary's as they hung five runs in the frame with big moment after big moment. The Gaels got runners to the corners with one out and then the eventual game winning run would come across off a safety squeeze bunt from Dario Freschi to score Tanner Griffith from third. Two batters later, Castellanos would jump on the first pitch he saw to send a rocket over the right field fence which felt like the ultimate dagger for the Broncos. Armstrong's cycle completing double would cap the five-run inning as the Gaels held a 15-10 lead going into the bottom of the 13th.
Chapman would return to the mound and surrender a run but got two outs before making way for Sam Kretsch who has been nails out of the back of the bullpen for the Gaels this season. Kretsch induced a ground out to first to finally seal the five hour and 15 minute 15-11 extra inning victory. Chapman got credit for just his second career win and his first of the 2026 season as the Gaels improved to 8-4 in WCC play. They have now won four straight games for their longest win streak of the season.
GAME NOTES
LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Mary's will get as much sleep as they can and return to Moraga to host Nevada on Monday at 3:00 p.m. The Gaels will then rest up and remain home for their WCC series with rival Gonzaga starting on Friday. All four games can be streamed live on ESPN+ 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
Sunday's series finale with the Broncos was originally scheduled for 12 p.m. but the game would come to an end after 8:30 p.m. after a two-hour rain delay and then a five-plus hour affair on the field. Saint Mary's (21-14, 8-4) erased a five-run deficit over the final three innings which included a game tying home run from Makoa Sniffen in the top of the ninth inning to force extras. The Gaels then took the lead in back-to-back innings in extras but would finally shut the door in the 13th inning with a five-run frame including a no doubt two-run shot from Diego Castellanos.
Redshirt sophomore Finn Chapman would get credit for his second collegiate victory and first of 2026 after pitching 1.1 innings including preserving the 10-10 tie in the bottom of the 12th. Fellow sophomore Sam Kretsch would replace Chapman after the first two outs in the bottom of the 13th and get the final out in what was his second consecutive appearance. Kretsch picked up the win with 3.1 innings of work on Saturday and was originally scheduled to be down for Sunday's series finale, but was called into action with the Gaels needing one out to secure the sweep.
At the plate, Saint Mary's would tally 15 runs off 19 hits, both figures tying their season high as the WCC's leading offense. After scoring just two runs through the first six innings of the ballgame, the cardiac Gaels erupted for 13 runs over the final seven innings including eight runs in extras. Amidst all the chaos Saint Mary's catcher Ian Armstrong accomplished an incredible feat, recording the program's second ever cycle after hitting an RBI double in the top of the 13th. Amazingly, Ian Armstrong and Ian Josephson have recorded the program's first two cycles within a four-day span. Saint Mary's had three four-hit games from the likes of Diego Castellanos, Makoa Sniffen and Ian Armstrong and also belted a season high four home runs in the contest.
HOW IT HAPPENED
An absolutely insane ballgame got off to a tough start for Saint Mary's as Santa Clara (13-21, 3-9) jumped out to a 7-2 lead through the first six innings. The Broncos chased SMC starter Jake Hilton after just 2.1 innings to get into the bullpen. The Gaels did connect on back-to-back home runs in the third inning after no doubt shots from Ian Armstrong and Brady Petit to cut the deficit to one. The Broncos would tack on two more though in the bottom half of the frame to maintain control.
Once again, the Gaels got the offense going over the final three innings, tallying five runs including a game tying home run from Makoa Sniffen in the ninth to knot the game at seven and force extras. Santa Clara nearly walked it off in the bottom of the ninth and tenth, loading the bases in both innings. The Gaels hung tough though and made some stellar defensive plays to keep the Broncos off the board and strand the bases loaded in back-to-back innings. Jacob Johnson made a diving catch in left to end the ninth inning and then Lukas Sarantos got back-to-back outs in the tenth to send the Gaels back to the plate with the game still tied at seven.
After a quiet eleventh inning from both teams, Saint Mary's and Santa Clara would trade leads in the 12th. The Gaels struck first with three runs all on two-out magic. Jacob Johnson came up with his first hit of the ball game after striking out four times and going into the at bat 0-for-6 from the dish. Johnson doubled down the left field line to score Dario Freschi from first and give the Gaels an 8-7 lead, their first of the game. After a pitching change, the Gaels recorded two more RBI hits from Castellanos and Sniffen to take a 10-7 lead into the bottom half of the 12th.
Despite the game feeling nearly complete, Santa Clara rallied for three runs of their own to tie the game at ten. Sarantos would depart with one out and a runner on third for Finn Chapman but once again, the Gaels found a way to keep the game alive as Chapman induced back-to-back ground outs to strand the winning run on third and send the Gaels back to the plate in 13th.
The 13th inning would finally prove to be the decider for Saint Mary's as they hung five runs in the frame with big moment after big moment. The Gaels got runners to the corners with one out and then the eventual game winning run would come across off a safety squeeze bunt from Dario Freschi to score Tanner Griffith from third. Two batters later, Castellanos would jump on the first pitch he saw to send a rocket over the right field fence which felt like the ultimate dagger for the Broncos. Armstrong's cycle completing double would cap the five-run inning as the Gaels held a 15-10 lead going into the bottom of the 13th.
Chapman would return to the mound and surrender a run but got two outs before making way for Sam Kretsch who has been nails out of the back of the bullpen for the Gaels this season. Kretsch induced a ground out to first to finally seal the five hour and 15 minute 15-11 extra inning victory. Chapman got credit for just his second career win and his first of the 2026 season as the Gaels improved to 8-4 in WCC play. They have now won four straight games for their longest win streak of the season.
GAME NOTES
- Saint Mary's tied its season high in runs and hits Sunday night, scoring 15 runs and recording 19 hits for the second time in a game this season
- Three players had four-hit ballgames for the Gaels (Castellanos, Sniffen and Armstrong)
- Ian Armstrong recorded just the second cycle in program history after an RBI double in the top of the 13th
- Makoa Sniffen is the only Gael this season to have a 1, 2, 3, 4, and a 5-hit ballgame after going 4-for-8 with two runs scored and two RBI on Sunday
- Sniffen also belted his sixth home run of the season after tying the game with a solo shot in the ninth inning
- Sniffen and Petit had a season high eight at bats on Sunday
- Castellanos and Armstrong led the team with three RBI each
- Castellanos connected on his fourth home run of the season after a two-run shot in the 13th
- Finn Chapman made his eighth appearance of the season and recorded his first win of 2026
- Saint Mary's used a season high ten pitchers in Sunday's win
- SMC pitching recorded 11 strikeouts on the night; Saint Mary's is now 11-1 when recording 10+ strikeouts on the mound this season
- Saint Mary's has now played in two five hour games this season and are 2-0 (Bakersfield and Santa Clara)
- Saint Mary's is now 3-0 in extra inning games this season
- The Gaels tied their season high with four home runs
LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Mary's will get as much sleep as they can and return to Moraga to host Nevada on Monday at 3:00 p.m. The Gaels will then rest up and remain home for their WCC series with rival Gonzaga starting on Friday. All four games can be streamed live on ESPN+ 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: Chapman, Finn (1-0)
L: CHOW, Nick (1-1)
Batting:
2B: Johnson, Jacob 1 ; Castellanos, Diego 1 ; Armstrong, Ian 1 ; Josephson, Ian 2
3B: Armstrong, Ian 1
HR: Castellanos, Diego 1 ; Sniffen, Makoa 1 ; Armstrong, Ian 1 ; Petit, Brady 1
RBI: Johnson, Jacob 2 ; Castellanos, Diego 3 ; Sniffen, Makoa 2 ; Armstrong, Ian 3 ; Petit, Brady 2 ; Allred, Nick 1 ; Freschi, Dario 1
SH: Mettam, Jared 1 ; Freschi, Dario 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Campos, Jacob 1 ; Castellanos, Diego 3 ; Sniffen, Makoa 2 ; Armstrong, Ian 2 ; Petit, Brady 1 ; Griffith, Tanner 1 ; Mettam, Jared 1 ; Josephson, Ian 2 ; Freschi, Dario 2
SB: Griffith, Tanner 1 ; Josephson, Ian 1 ; Freschi, Dario 1
HBP: Freschi, Dario 1
Batting:
2B: LAMBERT, Payton 1 ; SOS, Camden 1 ; ROSS, Max 1
3B: RAYMENT, Andrew 1 ; ROSS, Max 1
HR: DEVINE, Luke 1
RBI: LAMBERT, Payton 1 ; LUETZOW, Johnny 2 ; DEVINE, Luke 4 ; SOS, Camden 1 ; ROSS, Max 2
SH: RAYMENT, Andrew 1 ; LAMBERT, Payton 1 ; CUNNINGHAM, Kai 1
SF: LUETZOW, Johnny 1
Base Running:
RUNS: RAYMENT, Andrew 3 ; LAMBERT, Payton 2 ; LUETZOW, Johnny 1 ; DEVINE, Luke 1 ; ANDERSON, Will 1 ; SOS, Camden 1 ; FERROGGIARO, Thomas 1 ; CUNNINGHAM, Kai 1
SB: RAYMENT, Andrew 2 ; LAMBERT, Payton 2 ; LUETZOW, Johnny 1
HBP: LAMBERT, Payton 1 ; LUETZOW, Johnny 1 ; FERROGGIARO, Thomas 2
Game Leaders
AB
7
R
3
H
4
RBI
3
AB
8
R
2
H
4
RBI
2
AB
5
R
2
H
4
RBI
3
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
C
/ BaseballOF
/ BaseballRHP
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballOF
/ BaseballLHP
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballRHP
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballRHP
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballBSB | Saint Mary's at Santa Clara Highlights, 4-12-26
Sunday, April 12
BSB | Saint Mary's at Santa Clara Highlights, 4-11-26
Saturday, April 11
BSB | Saint Mary's at Santa Clara Highlights, 4-10-26
Friday, April 10
BSB | Saint Mary's vs. Bakersfield Highlights, 4-8-26
Wednesday, April 08
