Gaels Celebrate Moms and Seniors With a 9–4 Win Over Santa Clara
The Saint Mary’s Gaels closed out their season at home on Mother’s Day as they completed the series-sweep over Santa Clara and celebrated the seniors.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Junior Joe Vranesh got the game started as well as extended his hitting streak to 16 games on Sunday as he drove a single to left field. Freshman Bryce Willits then hit an infield pop-fly followed by a triple from junior Ryan Novis that scored Vranesh and Willits to put SMC up 2–0. A wild pitch in the dirt scored Novis from third base and gave the Gaels their third run of the inning.
The Gaels picked up two more runs in the bottom of the second before Willits singled through the right side to leadoff the following inning. Austin Chauvin followed with a single to left field that put runners at the corners with one out. Another wild pitch scored Willits from third and SMC ended the inning with an 8–0 advantage.
Vranesh hit a leadoff double to get things started in the bottom of the fourth before junior Kevin Milam doubled to shallow center field and scored Vranesh to earn the Gaels their ninth run of the day. The Broncos’ only runs of the day came from two separate homers hit by junior Jake MacNichols who collected a two-run home run in both the fourth inning and the ninth. The Gaels went on to win 9–4 and break the program single-season record for wins at home as they recorded their 22nd on Sunday.
SMC celebrated six graduating seniors prior to game time and since it coincided with Mother’s Day, the moms of the fourth-years came and threw out the first pitch. The seniors mentioned how meaningful it was to end at home on Mother’s Day, as it emphasized the support they had been given by friends and family throughout their career.
“Personally, having the fans and our families out here supporting us really makes this place feel like home,” said senior Ty Madrigal. “Louis Guisto Field has been our place for the last four years and it has been an honor to play here.”
The Gaels are now one win away from clinching a berth in the WCC Championship that will begin May 23 in Stockton, California. Saint Mary’s is in a tight race for the top four spots with Loyola Marymount, Gonzaga, and BYU. The team is scheduled to play Sacramento State on Tuesday before heading south for the final series of the season against Pepperdine.
“It’s great to be comfortable at home and the wins-at-home record says a lot about what this program has done,” said Eric Valenzuela, head coach of the Saint Mary’s Gaels. “These seniors are the first group that have never been part of a losing season. They have done so much for our program and always continued to grow, so we are definitely going to miss them. When you’re playing a rival anything can happen so we just have to stay in the moment.”
