Gaels finish sixth in WCC
Saint Mary's loses two of three to rival Santa Clara
Sean Kent
Issue date: 5/12/09 Section: Sports
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The Rainbow Warriors jumped out to a quick lead, scoring three runs before the Gaels even came to bat. Saint Mary's starter Taylor Reid '11 lasted just a third of an inning, allowing three runs, only two of which were earned, on two hits with one walk. Freshman Mark Anderson relieved Reid and got out of the first without further damage, pitching magnificently over the next six and two thirds innings as he held Hawaii scoreless on just one hit, while striking out six. The Gaels managed to edge a bit closer in the second as Anthony Allioti '10 scored on a Chris Murphy '12 double. Both teams were blanked until Hawaii plated two in the eighth and then broke the game open with five runs in the ninth. Allioti scored again in the bottom of the ninth along with Markus Melgosa '12, but it was far too little too late as Gaels dropped the game 10-3.
The opener of the crucial final series was a heartbreaker as the Broncos rallied for two runs in the ninth to sneak past the Gaels, 6-5. After Santa Clara jumped out to the early lead with a run in the second, Saint Mary's answered right back with three runs of their own, two of which came on a Ryan Mulligan '10 bases loaded single. Justin Fazio '11, after throwing out a runner from centerfield, led off the bottom of the fourth with a solo homer to left, extending the lead to 4-1. However, the Broncos rallied for a run in the sixth and two more in the seventh off of Gaels' starter Brian Justice '09. He departed with an out in the eighth and the score tied at four. Mulligan scored in the bottom of the eighth on a Corey Miller '09 RBI single. But in the ninth, Brandon Berl '10 couldn't escape a bases loaded jam with two outs as Santa Clara junior Jon Karcich singled to score two, giving the Broncos the lead and eventually the game.
Saint Mary's bounced right back on Saturday scoring early and often to earn the 7-5 victory. The Gaels plated three in the first, the big blow coming off the bat of freshman Troy Channing, a two-run blast that scored Mulligan. The longball was Channing's 20th of the year and was part of a big day as he went 2-for-4 with four RBIs. Saint Mary's kept scoring, with single runs in the second, third, seventh, and eighth. Nine Gaels had at least one hit, with four players collecting multi-hit games. Junior Scott Schneider started for the Gaels and pitched into the sixth, scattering four runs and seven hits on three strikeouts to get a no decision. Kyle Barraclough '12 recorded the win in relief, allowing just one run on three hits.
In the rubber match, Saint Mary's was down early as the Broncos scored two runs in each of the first two innings to cruise to an easy 8-2 victory. Freshman starter Nathan Gonzales survived until midway through the second as he allowed four runs on four hits and walked three in an inning and two thirds. With the exception of an Allioti solo homer in the bottom of the third and a Channing RBI single that scored Miller in the sixth, both teams were held scoreless until the Broncos broke out for four in the ninth.
With the series loss, Saint Mary's finishes sixth in the conference. The Gaels still have hopes for post-season play, and played one final match for the season, a contest on Monday against New Mexico.