Saturday, May 2
Moraga, CA
4:00 PM
Saint Mary's College of California
26-20, 11-9
7
vs
8
Seattle U
15-25, 10-10
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle U | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 12 | 2 |
| Saint Mary's | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 12 | 1 |
#18 Ian Josephson: 2-for-3, RBI
BSB | Gaels Drop Thriller in Game 2 to Seattle U to Setup Rubber Match on Sunday
5/2/2026 8:34:00 PM | Baseball
MORAGA, Calif. - The Saint Mary's baseball team jumped out to a seven run lead Saturday afternoon but Seattle U stormed back to score eight unanswered runs and snatch game two 8-7, setting up the rubber match for the series victory on Sunday in Moraga.
The Gaels plated four runs in the third including a two-run homer from Makoa Sniffen for his now West Coast Conference-leading 11th homer of the season. They tacked on two more in the fifth thanks to another two-run tank job, this time from sophomore catcher Ian Armstrong to take a commanding 7-0 lead. Sam Kretsch cruised through five innings and even tied his career high with eight strikeouts but the Redhawks got to him in the sixth, rattling off four consecutive hits to start the inning including a three-run homer to make it 7-3. The Gaels' lead would be diminished to just one by the end of the frame as Seattle U (15-25, 10-10) got a two-out two-RBI single and scored a run on a wild pitch to find themselves down just one.
Seattle U's Tyler Jackson would go on to homer in the seventh inning to put the Redhawks up for good, 8-7, with just two innings to play. Saint Mary's (26-20, 11-9) threatened with the game-tying run on third in the bottom of the ninth and just one out. Armstrong would send a fly ball to medium depth left center field and Diego Castellanos would get the green light to tag up but was gunned down at the plate for a thrilling game-ending double play. The Redhawks climbed back to .500 in WCC play with the win while the Gaels will look to regroup and take the rubber match on Sunday, seeking their second straight conference series victory.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The start of the game felt like business as usual for the Gaels, jumping out to a 7-0 lead after the first five innings with hard contact and a splash of the long ball. Makoa Sniffen and Ian Armstrong each recorded two-run homers with Sniffen's in the third and Armstrong's in the fifth to contribute to the seven run advantage.
On the mound, Sam Kretsch would get the ball for his second consecutive Saturday start and just his third of the season. After going six innings against San Diego a week prior, Kretsch looked sharp again as he tied his career high with eight strikeouts over his 5.2 innings of work. Kretsch had allowed just three hits through his first five innings but Seattle U woke up in the sixth, scoring six runs to make it a one-run ballgame. The six-run spark for the Redhawks would start with a three-run homer after back-to-back hits to start the rally. Kretsch recorded the first two outs of the inning but would eventually depart after a two-out double to put runners on second and third. Redshirt freshman Max Johnson would come in but give up a two-RBI single and allow a run to score on a wild pitch to complete the six-run sixth for Seattle.
In their next at bat, the Redhawks took their first lead of the series with a two-run homer from Tyler Jackson to put Seattle U on top 8-7 with just two innings to play. Seattle U reliever Luke Alwood was terrific out of the bullpen, pitching 4.2 innings to eventually earn his second win of the season. Alwood allowed just one hit over his scoreless outing but ran into trouble in the bottom of the ninth with the Gaels down to their final at bats. Diego Castellanos worked a six-pitch walk to leadoff the inning and then eventually found his way to third after taking second on a ball in the dirt and then an errant throw from the catcher to put him into scoring position. With one out, the infield came in for the Redhawks with Armstrong at the dish. Armstrong skied a fly ball to medium depth left center field but center fielder Jared Stevenson would make the grab and throw Castellanos out at home on a bang-bang play to end the game with a thrilling double play.
Seattle U overcame a seven run deficit, scoring eight unanswered, to steal game two and set up the rubber match on Sunday.
GAME NOTES
LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Mary's and Seattle U will face off in the series rubber match on Sunday with first pitch slated for 12:00 p.m. Tickets can be bought online at smcgaels.com/tickets and the game can be streamed 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
The Gaels plated four runs in the third including a two-run homer from Makoa Sniffen for his now West Coast Conference-leading 11th homer of the season. They tacked on two more in the fifth thanks to another two-run tank job, this time from sophomore catcher Ian Armstrong to take a commanding 7-0 lead. Sam Kretsch cruised through five innings and even tied his career high with eight strikeouts but the Redhawks got to him in the sixth, rattling off four consecutive hits to start the inning including a three-run homer to make it 7-3. The Gaels' lead would be diminished to just one by the end of the frame as Seattle U (15-25, 10-10) got a two-out two-RBI single and scored a run on a wild pitch to find themselves down just one.
Seattle U's Tyler Jackson would go on to homer in the seventh inning to put the Redhawks up for good, 8-7, with just two innings to play. Saint Mary's (26-20, 11-9) threatened with the game-tying run on third in the bottom of the ninth and just one out. Armstrong would send a fly ball to medium depth left center field and Diego Castellanos would get the green light to tag up but was gunned down at the plate for a thrilling game-ending double play. The Redhawks climbed back to .500 in WCC play with the win while the Gaels will look to regroup and take the rubber match on Sunday, seeking their second straight conference series victory.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The start of the game felt like business as usual for the Gaels, jumping out to a 7-0 lead after the first five innings with hard contact and a splash of the long ball. Makoa Sniffen and Ian Armstrong each recorded two-run homers with Sniffen's in the third and Armstrong's in the fifth to contribute to the seven run advantage.
On the mound, Sam Kretsch would get the ball for his second consecutive Saturday start and just his third of the season. After going six innings against San Diego a week prior, Kretsch looked sharp again as he tied his career high with eight strikeouts over his 5.2 innings of work. Kretsch had allowed just three hits through his first five innings but Seattle U woke up in the sixth, scoring six runs to make it a one-run ballgame. The six-run spark for the Redhawks would start with a three-run homer after back-to-back hits to start the rally. Kretsch recorded the first two outs of the inning but would eventually depart after a two-out double to put runners on second and third. Redshirt freshman Max Johnson would come in but give up a two-RBI single and allow a run to score on a wild pitch to complete the six-run sixth for Seattle.
In their next at bat, the Redhawks took their first lead of the series with a two-run homer from Tyler Jackson to put Seattle U on top 8-7 with just two innings to play. Seattle U reliever Luke Alwood was terrific out of the bullpen, pitching 4.2 innings to eventually earn his second win of the season. Alwood allowed just one hit over his scoreless outing but ran into trouble in the bottom of the ninth with the Gaels down to their final at bats. Diego Castellanos worked a six-pitch walk to leadoff the inning and then eventually found his way to third after taking second on a ball in the dirt and then an errant throw from the catcher to put him into scoring position. With one out, the infield came in for the Redhawks with Armstrong at the dish. Armstrong skied a fly ball to medium depth left center field but center fielder Jared Stevenson would make the grab and throw Castellanos out at home on a bang-bang play to end the game with a thrilling double play.
Seattle U overcame a seven run deficit, scoring eight unanswered, to steal game two and set up the rubber match on Sunday.
GAME NOTES
- Saint Mary's tied Seattle U with 12 hits in the ballgame, their 34th game this season with 10+ hits
- The Gaels hit two homers in the game for their 15th multi-homer game of the season
- Makoa Sniffen now has the solo lead in the WCC with 11 home runs
- Sniffen is one of five players in all of Division I to lead his conference in hits, home runs and RBI
- Sniffen also recorded his team leading 15th multi-RBI game of the season
- Armstrong led the Gaels with three hits in the ballgame, his 6th three-hit game this season
- Armstrong's three-hit ballgame also extended his season long hit streak to 14 games
- Tanner Griffith and Jacob Johnson tied the team lead, each recording their 13th double this season
- Sam Kretsch tied his career high with eight strikeouts to lead all pitchers in the game
- The Gaels pitching recorded 10 strikeouts compared to just six for the Redhawks
LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Mary's and Seattle U will face off in the series rubber match on Sunday with first pitch slated for 12:00 p.m. Tickets can be bought online at smcgaels.com/tickets and the game can be streamed 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: Alwood, Luke (2-3)
L: Hilton, Jake (4-4)
Batting:
2B: Knowles, Payton 1 ; Rhein, Kenny 1 ; Stinnett, Brandon 1
HR: Horner, Tyler 1 ; Jackson, Tyler 1
RBI: Horner, Tyler 3 ; Jackson, Tyler 2 ; Stevenson, Jared 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Knowles, Payton 1 ; Rhein, Kenny 1 ; Horner, Tyler 1 ; Hale, Royce 2 ; Jackson, Tyler 1 ; Stinnett, Brandon 1 ; Carlson, Hayden 1
Batting:
2B: Griffith, Tanner 1 ; Castellanos, Diego 1 ; Armstrong, Ian 1 ; Johnson, Jacob 1 ; Josephson, Ian 1
HR: Sniffen, Makoa 1 ; Armstrong, Ian 1
RBI: Sniffen, Makoa 2 ; Armstrong, Ian 3 ; Johnson, Jacob 1 ; Josephson, Ian 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Griffith, Tanner 1 ; Castellanos, Diego 1 ; Sniffen, Makoa 2 ; Armstrong, Ian 2 ; Johnson, Jacob 1
HBP: Mettam, Jared 1
Game Leaders
AB
5
R
2
H
3
RBI
3
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
2
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
C
/ BaseballOF
/ BaseballOF
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballRHP
/ BaseballRHP
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballBSB | Saint Mary's vs. Seattle U Highlights, 5-2-26
Saturday, May 02
BSB | 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
