Friday, May 29
Los Angeles, Calif.
12:00 PM
Saint Mary's College of California
35-25
3
vs
2
UCLA
51-7
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Mary's | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 1 |
| UCLA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
Photo by: Eric Brown Jr.
BSB | Down Goes No. 1; Gaels Shock the Bruins with 3-2 Victory in Regional Opener
5/29/2026 5:53:00 PM | Baseball
LOS ANGELES - The Saint Mary's baseball team made history Friday afternoon at Jackie Robinson Stadium, knocking off number one overall seed and regional host UCLA 3-2 for its first win over a top ranked team in program history. The win also marked the first time a number one national seed lost its opener in an NCAA Regional since the tournament's expansion in 1999.
Senior ace John Damozonio has been sensational all season long and was great again on Friday, completing seven innings allowing just two runs off five hits before departing with the game tied at two. The Gaels got on the board first with a solo home run from Jacob Johnson in the fourth only for UCLA (51-7) to score two over the next two innings to take a 2-1 lead. Makoa Sniffen rifled a one-out double in the sixth to score Tanner Griffith from first to tie the game again. After two more clean frames, Johnson came to the rescue with a moonshot homer in the top of the ninth to stun the Bruin crowd and put Saint Mary's (35-25) in front 3-2. Cam Staton pitched the final two innings in relief and stayed on for the ninth, allowing just one hit and getting college baseball's number one overall prospect in Roch Cholowsky to fly out to center to seal the win for the Gaels.
Saint Mary's became just the second school to win back-to-back NCAA Regional openers over top-16 teams after defeating eighth ranked Oregon State last season in Corvallis. The first were the Fresno State Bulldogs who accomplished the feat in back-to-back seasons including their College World Series championship run in 2008. The Gaels got herculean pitching performances in that game from Dylan Delvecchio and Daniel Guevara Castro, who was in attendance today, and got some more of the same with Damozonio and Staton combining for nine innings, two runs off six hits and nine total strikeouts.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Friday's regional opener started off as a pitchers duel with both starters completing three scoreless frames. Senior ace John Damozonio made his 14th start of the season and looked sharp early, allowing just one hit and two baserunners over his first three innings. The Gaels looked like they belonged at Jackie Robinson Stadium taking on the number one overall seed and showed it with the game's first run, taking a 1-0 lead with a solo home run from Jacob Johnson in the top of the fourth. Johnson started the game 2-for-2 including a double back in the second and connected on his 13th homer of the season in the fourth to put the Gaels up early.
UCLA answered with a solo homer of its own in the bottom half of the frame to tie the game but Damozonio took his medicine and continued to deal. The Bruins took a 2-1 lead in the fifth off a sacrifice fly but Saint Mary's followed suit with an RBI double from Makoa Sniffen in the top half of the sixth, scoring the speedy Tanner Griffith from first base to tie the game at two. After a clean sixth inning and the game still tied at two, head coach Eric Valenzuela would run Damozonio back out for a seventh frame after UCLA's John Fisher had moved onto his third pitcher to pitch the top of the seventh. Damozonio hit the leadoff batter but retired the next three including college baseball's top prospect Roch Cholowsky for the third time in the game, getting Cholowsky to pop up to first to end the threat and complete seven fantastic innings for the Gaels.
Junior transfer Cam Staton has been a popular combination for Valenzuela following Damozonio over the last month and a half of the season and Staton would get his name called again for the final two innings. Staton put two runners on in the bottom of the eighth with two outs but was able to strikeout Jarrod Hocking on a 3-2 breaker in the dirt to strand the runners and send the game into the ninth tied at two.
UCLA's bullpen faced the middle of the Gaels order in the ninth and after getting Ian Armstrong to pop up to the infield for the first out, Jacob Johnson would come to the plate and sky a 3-1 pitch over the right field fence for his second homer of the game, putting Saint Mary's in front 3-2. Johnson got a good barrel on the swing but sent it high into the sky and got a favorable breeze to push it over the right field fence by just a few feet to put the Gaels in front.
Staton remained in the game for the bottom of the ninth and after a one out single, Staton struck out Dean West and then got Cholowsky to fly out to center to end the game and complete history for the Saint Mary's baseball program. Valenzuela and his squad recorded the program's first win over a number one ranked team and also became the first team to knock off the number one overall seed in the opener of a regional since the tournament's expansion in 1999.
Johnson was the hero with two home runs for his second multi-homer game of the season but it was a complete and total team effort including seven innings from Damozonio, quality defense and a two-inning win from Staton for his fourth of the season. Saint Mary's will await the winner of Virginia Tech and Cal Poly and play in the nightcap at Jackie Robinson Stadium on Saturday.
GAME NOTES
LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Mary's will take on the winner of Virginia Tech and Cal Poly who play at Jackie Robinson Stadium this evening on ESPN+. First pitch for tomorrow's game is scheduled for 6 PM and additional game information and coverage 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
Senior ace John Damozonio has been sensational all season long and was great again on Friday, completing seven innings allowing just two runs off five hits before departing with the game tied at two. The Gaels got on the board first with a solo home run from Jacob Johnson in the fourth only for UCLA (51-7) to score two over the next two innings to take a 2-1 lead. Makoa Sniffen rifled a one-out double in the sixth to score Tanner Griffith from first to tie the game again. After two more clean frames, Johnson came to the rescue with a moonshot homer in the top of the ninth to stun the Bruin crowd and put Saint Mary's (35-25) in front 3-2. Cam Staton pitched the final two innings in relief and stayed on for the ninth, allowing just one hit and getting college baseball's number one overall prospect in Roch Cholowsky to fly out to center to seal the win for the Gaels.
Saint Mary's became just the second school to win back-to-back NCAA Regional openers over top-16 teams after defeating eighth ranked Oregon State last season in Corvallis. The first were the Fresno State Bulldogs who accomplished the feat in back-to-back seasons including their College World Series championship run in 2008. The Gaels got herculean pitching performances in that game from Dylan Delvecchio and Daniel Guevara Castro, who was in attendance today, and got some more of the same with Damozonio and Staton combining for nine innings, two runs off six hits and nine total strikeouts.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Friday's regional opener started off as a pitchers duel with both starters completing three scoreless frames. Senior ace John Damozonio made his 14th start of the season and looked sharp early, allowing just one hit and two baserunners over his first three innings. The Gaels looked like they belonged at Jackie Robinson Stadium taking on the number one overall seed and showed it with the game's first run, taking a 1-0 lead with a solo home run from Jacob Johnson in the top of the fourth. Johnson started the game 2-for-2 including a double back in the second and connected on his 13th homer of the season in the fourth to put the Gaels up early.
UCLA answered with a solo homer of its own in the bottom half of the frame to tie the game but Damozonio took his medicine and continued to deal. The Bruins took a 2-1 lead in the fifth off a sacrifice fly but Saint Mary's followed suit with an RBI double from Makoa Sniffen in the top half of the sixth, scoring the speedy Tanner Griffith from first base to tie the game at two. After a clean sixth inning and the game still tied at two, head coach Eric Valenzuela would run Damozonio back out for a seventh frame after UCLA's John Fisher had moved onto his third pitcher to pitch the top of the seventh. Damozonio hit the leadoff batter but retired the next three including college baseball's top prospect Roch Cholowsky for the third time in the game, getting Cholowsky to pop up to first to end the threat and complete seven fantastic innings for the Gaels.
Junior transfer Cam Staton has been a popular combination for Valenzuela following Damozonio over the last month and a half of the season and Staton would get his name called again for the final two innings. Staton put two runners on in the bottom of the eighth with two outs but was able to strikeout Jarrod Hocking on a 3-2 breaker in the dirt to strand the runners and send the game into the ninth tied at two.
UCLA's bullpen faced the middle of the Gaels order in the ninth and after getting Ian Armstrong to pop up to the infield for the first out, Jacob Johnson would come to the plate and sky a 3-1 pitch over the right field fence for his second homer of the game, putting Saint Mary's in front 3-2. Johnson got a good barrel on the swing but sent it high into the sky and got a favorable breeze to push it over the right field fence by just a few feet to put the Gaels in front.
Staton remained in the game for the bottom of the ninth and after a one out single, Staton struck out Dean West and then got Cholowsky to fly out to center to end the game and complete history for the Saint Mary's baseball program. Valenzuela and his squad recorded the program's first win over a number one ranked team and also became the first team to knock off the number one overall seed in the opener of a regional since the tournament's expansion in 1999.
Johnson was the hero with two home runs for his second multi-homer game of the season but it was a complete and total team effort including seven innings from Damozonio, quality defense and a two-inning win from Staton for his fourth of the season. Saint Mary's will await the winner of Virginia Tech and Cal Poly and play in the nightcap at Jackie Robinson Stadium on Saturday.
GAME NOTES
- Diego Castellanos singled in the opening inning to tie the program and WCC hit-streak with 36 consecutive games
- Makoa Sniffen had an RBI double in the sixth to tie the game at two and push his single-season hit total and program record to 93
- Jacob Johnson's multi-homer game went down as his second of the season, bringing his season total to 14 for second most on the team
- SMC pitching held UCLA's offense to two runs off six hits for its second lowest run total of the season
- Damozonio and Staton combined for nine strikeouts on the afternoon
- Despite the no-decision, Damozonio completed seven innings to tie his career high; the fourth time this season he's completed seven innings
- Damozonio's season ERA dipped to a career low 2.70
- Staton earned his fourth win as a Gael with two scoreless innings and three strikeouts
- Saint Mary's recorded its first win over a top ranked team in program history
- The Gaels also became the first team in NCAA Regional history to defeat the number one overall seed in the opening game of a regional since the tournament expansion in 1999
- Saint Mary's recorded its second NCAA Tournament win in program history and has knocked off the top regional seed in the opening game in back-to-back seasons, defeating regional host and 8th ranked Oregon State in 2025
LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Mary's will take on the winner of Virginia Tech and Cal Poly who play at Jackie Robinson Stadium this evening on ESPN+. First pitch for tomorrow's game is scheduled for 6 PM and additional game information and coverage 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: Staton, Cam (4-3)
L: Hawk, Easton (6-3)
Batting:
2B: Sniffen, Makoa 1 ; Johnson, Jacob 1
HR: Johnson, Jacob 2
RBI: Sniffen, Makoa 1 ; Johnson, Jacob 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Griffith, Tanner 1 ; Johnson, Jacob 2
Batting:
2B: Gudoy, Trey 1
HR: Martin, Roman 1
RBI: Cholowsky, Roch 1 ; Martin, Roman 1
SH: Call, Phoenix 2
SF: Cholowsky, Roch 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Martin, Roman 1 ; Gudoy, Trey 1
HBP: Gudoy, Trey 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
2
H
3
RBI
2
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
C
/ BaseballOF
/ BaseballRHP
/ BaseballRHP
/ BaseballLHP
/ BaseballOF
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballLHP
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