Santa Clara University lost to Saint Mary’s College in a West Coast Conference baseball game on April 11, as the Gaels scored seven runs over the final four innings to secure an 8-4 win at Stephen Schott Stadium.
The game was significant for both teams, with Saint Mary’s clinching a series victory and Santa Clara seeking to improve its conference record. The Broncos had built a lead early but could not hold off Saint Mary’s late surge.
Junior right-hander Jace Gillmore started for Santa Clara, throwing his second-longest outing of the season and striking out six batters. He allowed only one earned run on three hits in nearly six innings of work. The Broncos led 4-1 by the fifth inning thanks to timely hitting from Luke Devine, Camden Sos, and Max Ross. However, Saint Mary’s relief pitcher Sam Kretsch entered in the fifth inning and struck out eight batters over three-plus innings while earning the win.
Santa Clara loaded the bases in the seventh but failed to score after a lineout ended their threat. In the eighth inning, Saint Mary’s put together a five-run rally with key hits from Nick Allred, Diego Castellanos, Makoa Sniffen, and Brady Petit. Hunter Hargett took the loss for Santa Clara after giving up all five runs during that stretch.
Johnny Luetzow reached base five times for Santa Clara and extended his streak of reaching base safely to twelve games. The team’s pitching staff recorded ten strikeouts for the fourteenth time this season but fell short again despite that effort.
The series finale is scheduled for Sunday at 2 p.m., with updates available through official team channels.
