STOCKTON, Calif. — San Diego baseball (35-18, 17-10 WCC) completed a stirring comeback on Friday afternoon to secure its first berth to the West Coast Conference Tournament Championship since 2013, locking down a 5-3 win over one-seed Gonzaga (35-16, 20-7 WCC) with a pair of home runs from junior catcher Caleb Ricketts and a strong all-around effort on the mound at Banner Island Ballpark.

With the victory, San Diego moves to 3-0 in the tournament and will face either one-seed Gonzaga in a rematch, or two-seed Portland on Saturday afternoon, pending the results of Friday evening's elimination game between the Zags and the Pilots. A single win over either opponent would earn USD its second conference tournament championship in program history, and the team will have two chances to do so after entering Saturday's action without a tournament loss.

RED-HOT RICKETTS POWERS FURIOUS COMEBACK

• Gonzaga struck first with a trio of runs across the contest's first three innings, doing so with an RBI double and a pair of solo home runs to earn an early 3-0 advantage.
• San Diego began its comeback effort in the bottom of the fourth when sophomore infielder Chase Meidroth worked a four-pitch walk.
• Sophomore infielder Kevin Sim followed with a single to left field on an 0-2 count, then Ricketts hammered a 1-1 fastball to deep right field for a game-tying three-run homer, plating both Meidroth and Sim to make it 3-3.
• An inning later, Sim would be a factor again, bringing home sophomore center fielder Dustin Allen (who had reached on a single) with a sacrifice fly to the center field warning track, pushing San Diego ahead for the first time on Friday at 4-3.
• Ricketts delivered the game's finishing blow in the bottom of the eighth, punishing an 0-2 fastball to deep center field for a towering solo home run that made it 5-3 Toreros and marked his fifth longball in just three WCC Tournament games and his conference-leading 16th round-tripper of 2022.

MAUTZ, ROBINSON, AND ROMERO SHINE ON MOUND

• Sophomore left-hander Brycen Mautz (Westview High School) began the game on the mound for the Toreros in what marked his team-best 14th start of 2022 and turned in five solid frames, surrendering three runs on six hits while walking two and striking out a game-high nine to earn his ninth win of the year and move to 9-2 on the season.
• Redshirt junior righty Ryan Robinson took over in the top of the sixth after Mautz allowed a leadoff single and promptly stranded the runner before he turned in a pair of scoreless innings, working around two hits with a strikeout while walking none.
• Sophomore right-hander Ivran Romero finished the game on the mound with two dominant innings, allowing just one hit, walking none, and striking out one to earn his third save of 2022 and secure San Diego a 5-3 win over Gonzaga at Banner Island Ballpark.

TORERO TIDBITS

• Ricketts continued to lead the way for USD at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two home runs, two runs scored, four RBIs, and a hit by pitch on Friday.
• Jefferis joined him in assembling a multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 with a double.
• Sim was 1-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI, and Allen was 1-for-3 with a run scored.
• Meidroth did not record a hit against Gonzaga but scored a run, walked twice, and was hit by a pitch.

UP NEXT
The Toreros will play for the West Coast Conference Tournament Championship and the WCC's automatic bid to an NCAA Regional tomorrow afternoon at Banner Island Ballpark. They will face either two-seed Portland, or one-seed Gonzaga, pending the results of Friday evening's game.

A win on Saturday would secure San Diego its second WCC Tournament Championship, its ninth NCAA Regional appearance, and its first since 2013, when the Kris Bryant-led Toreros took down San Francisco 2-0 to win the WCC Tournament Championship and made a four-game run into the postseason.

First pitch on Saturday afternoon at Banner Island Ballpark is set for 3 p.m.