Friday, May 1
Moraga, CA
6:00 PM
Saint Mary's College of California
26-19, 11-8
11
vs
1
Seattle U
14-25, 9-10
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle U | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 3 |
| Saint Mary's | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 11 | 16 | 0 |
BSB | Gaels Erupt for 8-Run 7th Inning to Run Away from Redhawks in Series Opener
5/1/2026 10:08:00 PM | Baseball
MORAGA, Calif. - The Saint Mary's baseball team pulled away from Seattle U (14-25, 9-10) in game one of its three-game West Coast Conference series, scoring eight runs in the seventh and two more in the eighth to run-rule the Redhawks 11-1 Friday night.
Both starters allowed just one run through the first six innings in what was a tightly contested pitching matchup, but the Gaels' offense finally cashed in some runs with an eight-spot in the seventh inning to bounce Redhawk starter Travis Farrell. Sophomore first baseman Makoa Sniffen hit home the go-ahead runs for Saint Mary's (26-19, 11-8) with a two-RBI bases loaded single to put the Gaels up 3-1. Saint Mary's loaded the bases again and proceeded to score six more runs with RBI hits from the likes of Jared Mettam, Brady Petit and Diego Castellanos. The Gaels got more traffic on the bases in the eighth and were able to plate two more runs including the game-ending hit from senior second baseman Cody Kashimoto to seal the 11-1 victory.
On the mound, Gaels ace John Damozonio powered through six innings allowing just one run while striking out a game high ten batters, just one off his career high. Damozonio would get credit for the no-decision though as first year Gael Cam Staton completed the seventh and eighth to earn his second career win. Staton finished with two scoreless frames and just two hits as Saint Mary's cruised to its 11th conference win of the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Damozonio made his 12th start of the season Friday night at Br. Ronald Gallagher Stadium and despite allowing some hard contact and a first-inning run, the San Jose native struck out a game high ten batters and allowed just the one run over his six innings of work. Damozonio worked out of some crucial jams and got punchouts to end the first, second and sixth inning.
The Gaels offense did respond for Damozonio with a run in the bottom of the first to tie the game at one. Tanner Griffith trotted home on an RBI ground ball from Sniffen with one out. The bats continued to pop for the Gaels as they recorded a game high eight hits through the first six innings but seven of the eight were singles and they struggled to find the big swing to take the lead. That big swing would come though in the bottom of the seventh as Saint Mary's bounced the Redhawks starter to score eight runs in the frame.
The inning started with a hit batter in which the Gaels then tried to put down back-to-back sacrifice bunts but with good hustle and placement turned into bunt singles to go station-to-station and load the bases. After a mound visit and a vintage offensive timeout from Associate Head Coach Jack Meggs, Makoa Sniffen came to the plate and rifled the first pitch he saw into left field to score two runs and give the Gaels a 3-1 lead, their first of the night.
The runs continued to pour after that as pinch-hitter Nick Allred and freshman Ian Josephson record sacrifice flies to extend the lead before RBI hits came from Mettam, Petit and Castellanos. Saint Mary's led 9-1 at the end of the seventh and then tacked on two more for good measure in the eighth to run-rule Seattle U 11-1. Cam Staton finished the game for the Gaels to earn his second win this season as the league's best offense exploded for ten runs over the final two frames to get the series opening victory. Josephson and Mettam led the team with three-hit ballgames while Sniffen went 2-for-5 with a run scored and a game high three RBI.
GAME NOTES
LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Mary's will take on Seattle U in game two of its weekend series on Saturday at 4 p.m. Pregame, the Gaels will be honoring their historic 2016 team that captured the program's first ever WCC Championship and NCAA Regional appearance with a ceremonial First Pitch. Tickets for the game 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.
#GaelsRise
Both starters allowed just one run through the first six innings in what was a tightly contested pitching matchup, but the Gaels' offense finally cashed in some runs with an eight-spot in the seventh inning to bounce Redhawk starter Travis Farrell. Sophomore first baseman Makoa Sniffen hit home the go-ahead runs for Saint Mary's (26-19, 11-8) with a two-RBI bases loaded single to put the Gaels up 3-1. Saint Mary's loaded the bases again and proceeded to score six more runs with RBI hits from the likes of Jared Mettam, Brady Petit and Diego Castellanos. The Gaels got more traffic on the bases in the eighth and were able to plate two more runs including the game-ending hit from senior second baseman Cody Kashimoto to seal the 11-1 victory.
On the mound, Gaels ace John Damozonio powered through six innings allowing just one run while striking out a game high ten batters, just one off his career high. Damozonio would get credit for the no-decision though as first year Gael Cam Staton completed the seventh and eighth to earn his second career win. Staton finished with two scoreless frames and just two hits as Saint Mary's cruised to its 11th conference win of the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Damozonio made his 12th start of the season Friday night at Br. Ronald Gallagher Stadium and despite allowing some hard contact and a first-inning run, the San Jose native struck out a game high ten batters and allowed just the one run over his six innings of work. Damozonio worked out of some crucial jams and got punchouts to end the first, second and sixth inning.
The Gaels offense did respond for Damozonio with a run in the bottom of the first to tie the game at one. Tanner Griffith trotted home on an RBI ground ball from Sniffen with one out. The bats continued to pop for the Gaels as they recorded a game high eight hits through the first six innings but seven of the eight were singles and they struggled to find the big swing to take the lead. That big swing would come though in the bottom of the seventh as Saint Mary's bounced the Redhawks starter to score eight runs in the frame.
The inning started with a hit batter in which the Gaels then tried to put down back-to-back sacrifice bunts but with good hustle and placement turned into bunt singles to go station-to-station and load the bases. After a mound visit and a vintage offensive timeout from Associate Head Coach Jack Meggs, Makoa Sniffen came to the plate and rifled the first pitch he saw into left field to score two runs and give the Gaels a 3-1 lead, their first of the night.
The runs continued to pour after that as pinch-hitter Nick Allred and freshman Ian Josephson record sacrifice flies to extend the lead before RBI hits came from Mettam, Petit and Castellanos. Saint Mary's led 9-1 at the end of the seventh and then tacked on two more for good measure in the eighth to run-rule Seattle U 11-1. Cam Staton finished the game for the Gaels to earn his second win this season as the league's best offense exploded for ten runs over the final two frames to get the series opening victory. Josephson and Mettam led the team with three-hit ballgames while Sniffen went 2-for-5 with a run scored and a game high three RBI.
GAME NOTES
- Saint Mary's recorded a game high 16 hits for its 33rd game this season with double-digit hits
- The Gaels also eclipsed double-digit runs for the 15th time this season
- Saint Mary's is a perfect 15-0 when scoring 10+ runs this season
- Sniffen continues to lead the WCC with now 73 hits this season
- Sniffen also tied the team lead with his 14th multi-RBI game of the season
- Castellanos went 2-for-4 to extend his season long hit streak to 21 games
- Damozonio has completed six or more innings nine times this season and lowered his ERA to 2.82
- Damozonio also recorded a game high 10 strikeouts for his second game this season with double-digit strikeouts
- Staton earned his second win as a Gael with two scoreless innings in relief
- Saint Mary's improved to 16-5 this season when not recording an error
- Saint Mary's has now won three consecutive games over Seattle U dating back to 2024
LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Mary's will take on Seattle U in game two of its weekend series on Saturday at 4 p.m. Pregame, the Gaels will be honoring their historic 2016 team that captured the program's first ever WCC Championship and NCAA Regional appearance with a ceremonial First Pitch. Tickets for the game 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.
#GaelsRise
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Staton, Cam (2-3)
L: Farrell, Travis (2-6)
Batting:
2B: Horner, Tyler 1 ; Beauchaine, Jake 1 ; Stinnett, Brandon 1
HR: Knowles, Payton 1
RBI: Knowles, Payton 1
SH: Stevenson, Jared 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Knowles, Payton 1
Batting:
2B: Griffith, Tanner 1 ; Armstrong, Ian 1 ; Petit, Brady 1
RBI: Castellanos, Diego 2 ; Sniffen, Makoa 3 ; Allred, Nick 1 ; Josephson, Ian 2 ; Mettam, Jared 1 ; Petit, Brady 1 ; Kashimoto, Cody 1
SH: Castellanos, Diego 1 ; Petit, Brady 1
SF: Allred, Nick 1 ; Josephson, Ian 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Griffith, Tanner 2 ; Castellanos, Diego 1 ; Sniffen, Makoa 1 ; Armstrong, Ian 2 ; Allred, Nick 1 ; Mettam, Jared 1 ; Linteo, Colin 1 ; Kashimoto, Cody 2
SB: Sniffen, Makoa 2
CS: Josephson, Ian 1
HBP: Griffith, Tanner 1 ; Kashimoto, Cody 2
PO: Josephson, Ian 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
0
H
3
RBI
2
AB
5
R
1
H
3
RBI
1
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
OF
/ BaseballOF
/ BaseballRHP
/ BaseballOF
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballLHP
/ BaseballBSB | Saint Mary's vs. Seattle U Highlights, 5-1-26
Friday, May 01
BSB | Saint Mary's vs. Cal Highlights, 4-28-26
Tuesday, April 28
BSB | Saint Mary's at San Diego Highlights, 4-26-26
Sunday, April 26
BSB | Saint Mary's at San Diego Highlights, 4-25-26
Saturday, April 25
