Friday, April 17
Moraga, CA
3:00 PM
Saint Mary's College of California
22-15, 8-5
2
vs
7
Gonzaga
21-14, 10-3
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gonzaga | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 1 |
| Saint Mary's | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 1 |
#26 Max Johnson: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 R, 2 SO vs. Gonzaga
Photo by: Saint Mary's Athletics / Tod Fierner
BSB | Gaels Drop Opener to Zags in WCC Showdown
4/17/2026 8:00:00 PM | Baseball
MORAGA, Calif. - The Saint Mary's baseball team dropped game one of its three game series with the Gonzaga Bulldogs on Friday, falling 7-2.
Senior right hander John Damozonio grinded through seven innings of work but would take just his second loss of the season with four earned runs. The Gaels had a couple of long bombs from lefties Diego Castellanos and Tanner Griffith but both were just solo home runs, standing as the two lone runs in the game for Saint Mary's (22-15, 8-5).
Gonzaga (21-14, 10-3) really shifted momentum with a pivotal three-run home run in the fifth inning to give them their largest lead of the game at 5-0. Starter Justin Feld went seven innings and held the Gaels to just two runs off six hits to earn his fifth win of the season. At the moment, the Gaels sit two games back of the Zags in the West Coast Conference standings alone in third place.
HOW IT HAPPENED
SMC starter John Damozonio gave up some hard contact to Gonzaga but fought his way through seven complete innings for the third consecutive outing. He pitched to contact and limited damage to depart with the Gaels down just three runs. After a 5-0 start for the Zags, Diego Castellanos belted home run number six on the season with a booming shot to right field to put Saint Mary's on the board.
Two innings later, leadoff hitter Tanner Griffith would get in on the action with a 415 foot moonshot over the trees beyond the right field fence for his third of the season, cutting the deficit to three. Damozonio went 1-2-3 in the top half of the seventh to end his day, allowing four earned runs on six hits with a game high four strikeouts.
Momentum was shifting the Gaels' way but Gonzaga led the eighth inning off with back-to-back hits to push its lead to 6-2. The Zags went on to load the bases and chase reliever Luis Martin Romero from the game. In came redshirt freshman Max Johnson who limited the bases loaded jam to just one run for the Bulldogs, keeping Saint Mary's within striking distance. The Gaels were able to get a pair of two-out singles in the ninth to start a rally but a ground out from Makoa Sniffen with runners in scoring position would end the game and seal the 7-2 victory for Gonzaga.
The top three spots in the batting order for the Gaels combined for six hits with a pair each for Griffith, Castellanos and Sniffen. The other two hits for Saint Mary's came from Ian Armstrong and Ian Josephson as the Gaels were held to eight hits, their fifth lowest total of the season. Max Johnson finished the game on the hill for the Gaels with two scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and striking out two Gonzaga hitters.
GAME NOTES
LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Mary's will look for the bounce pack on Saturday in game two against Gonzaga. First pitch on Saturday is slated for 1 p.m, and there will be a special pre-game ceremony retiring former Saint Mary's coach Dr. Miles McAfee's jersey at 12:45 p.m.
Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.
#GaelsRise
Senior right hander John Damozonio grinded through seven innings of work but would take just his second loss of the season with four earned runs. The Gaels had a couple of long bombs from lefties Diego Castellanos and Tanner Griffith but both were just solo home runs, standing as the two lone runs in the game for Saint Mary's (22-15, 8-5).
Gonzaga (21-14, 10-3) really shifted momentum with a pivotal three-run home run in the fifth inning to give them their largest lead of the game at 5-0. Starter Justin Feld went seven innings and held the Gaels to just two runs off six hits to earn his fifth win of the season. At the moment, the Gaels sit two games back of the Zags in the West Coast Conference standings alone in third place.
HOW IT HAPPENED
SMC starter John Damozonio gave up some hard contact to Gonzaga but fought his way through seven complete innings for the third consecutive outing. He pitched to contact and limited damage to depart with the Gaels down just three runs. After a 5-0 start for the Zags, Diego Castellanos belted home run number six on the season with a booming shot to right field to put Saint Mary's on the board.
Two innings later, leadoff hitter Tanner Griffith would get in on the action with a 415 foot moonshot over the trees beyond the right field fence for his third of the season, cutting the deficit to three. Damozonio went 1-2-3 in the top half of the seventh to end his day, allowing four earned runs on six hits with a game high four strikeouts.
Momentum was shifting the Gaels' way but Gonzaga led the eighth inning off with back-to-back hits to push its lead to 6-2. The Zags went on to load the bases and chase reliever Luis Martin Romero from the game. In came redshirt freshman Max Johnson who limited the bases loaded jam to just one run for the Bulldogs, keeping Saint Mary's within striking distance. The Gaels were able to get a pair of two-out singles in the ninth to start a rally but a ground out from Makoa Sniffen with runners in scoring position would end the game and seal the 7-2 victory for Gonzaga.
The top three spots in the batting order for the Gaels combined for six hits with a pair each for Griffith, Castellanos and Sniffen. The other two hits for Saint Mary's came from Ian Armstrong and Ian Josephson as the Gaels were held to eight hits, their fifth lowest total of the season. Max Johnson finished the game on the hill for the Gaels with two scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and striking out two Gonzaga hitters.
GAME NOTES
- Makoa Sniffen recorded his team leading 17th multi-hit game of the season, going 2-for-5 on the afternoon
- Diego Castellanos went 2-for-5 and extended his hitting streak to 14 games
- Saint Mary's recorded its 13th multi-homer game of the season
- The Gaels have hit nine home runs over their last three games
- John Damozonio completed seven innings for the third consecutive start, tying his career high for innings pitched
- Max Johnson pitched two scoreless innings to complete the game for Saint Mary's; Johnson has allowed just one run over his last three appearances
- Saint Mary's left ten runners on base compared to Gonzaga's six
LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Mary's will look for the bounce pack on Saturday in game two against Gonzaga. First pitch on Saturday is slated for 1 p.m, and there will be a special pre-game ceremony retiring former Saint Mary's coach Dr. Miles McAfee's jersey at 12:45 p.m.
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: Justin Feld (5-0)
L: Damozonio, John (6-2)
Batting:
2B: Mikey Bell 3
HR: Ryder Young 1 ; Maddox Haley 1
RBI: Ryder Young 4 ; Maddox Haley 1 ; Tommy Eisenstat 1
SF: Tommy Eisenstat 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Mikey Bell 3 ; Ryder Young 2 ; Maddox Haley 1 ; Jacob Wrubleski 1
Batting:
2B: Josephson, Ian 1
HR: Griffith, Tanner 1 ; Castellanos, Diego 1
RBI: Griffith, Tanner 1 ; Castellanos, Diego 1
SH: Mettam, Jared 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Griffith, Tanner 1 ; Castellanos, Diego 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
5
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
C
/ BaseballOF
/ BaseballRHP
/ BaseballOF
/ BaseballRHP
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballRHP
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballBSB | Saint Mary's vs. Gonzaga Highlights, 4-17-26
Friday, April 17
BSB | Saint Mary's vs. Nevada Highlights, 4-13-26
Monday, April 13
BSB | 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
