calvin schapira against saint mary's 3-23-24 _ credit thomas christensen
Thomas Christensen
2
Saint Mary's SMC 12-9, 2-1 WCC
16
Winner San Diego USD 12-10, 1-2 WCC
Saint Mary's SMC
12-9, 2-1 WCC
2
Final
16
San Diego USD
12-10, 1-2 WCC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Saint Mary's SMC 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 4
San Diego USD 4 0 0 2 0 4 2 4 X 16 15 0

W: Schapira, Calvin (3-0) L: LINCHEY, Connor (1-3)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Baseball Bounces Back with Big Win Over Saint Mary's

Toreros tie season highs in hits and runs as they beat Gaels 16-2 in series finale at Fowler Park


SAN DIEGO — San Diego baseball (12-10, 1-2 WCC) on Saturday evening turned in a dominant performance in its series finale against Saint Mary's (12-9, 2-1 WCC), beating the Gaels by a 16-2 margin at Fowler Park behind a four-RBI afternoon from Justin DeCriscio and seven shutdown innings on the mound from Calvin Schapira.

The Toreros fell behind 1-0 in the top of the first inning but immediately responded with four runs in the bottom of the frame and never looked back, adding two in the fourth, four in the sixth, two in the seventh, and another four in the eighth while hammering 15 hits.

Schapira was sharp in his third start of 2024, allowing only two hits and two walks while striking out nine.

DeCriscio headlined a well-rounded effort for USD at the plate, one that saw eight of its nine starters record a hit and seven of the Toreros' original starting nine drive in a run.

EARLY AND OFTEN
  • Saint Mary's got the scoring going in the top of the first with an RBI sacrifice fly.
  • San Diego answered with a flurry of runs in the bottom of the first, scoring four times via an RBI groundout from Justin DeCriscio, RBI singles from Austin Smith and Jakob Christian, and a bases-loaded walk from Ariel Armas.
  • After the Gaels got a run back in the top of the fourth on a solo homer, USD responded immediately once again, plating a pair in the bottom of the frame courtesy of a RBI single from DeCriscio and a two-base throwing error from SMC.
  • Dustin Allen added on in the bottom of the sixth, sending Armas home from third with an RBI single of his own through the left side.
  • USD ultimately exited the sixth inning with a commanding 10-2 lead after DeCriscio reached on an RBI fielder's choice that scored Will Worthington, Angelo Peraza scored from third on a balk, and DeCriscio came around to score on a throwing error from the Gaels.
  • San Diego kept its foot on the gas in the seventh, pushing across two more runs to make it 12-2 on an RBI groundout from Allen and a single from DeCriscio that marked his fourth run batted in of the afternoon.
  • USD put the finishing touches on its expansive offensive evening by adding four more runs in the bottom of the eighth on another Saint Mary's error, a two-RBI single from Peraza, and an RBI fielder's choice from Gurevitch.
SHUTDOWN SCHAPIRA
  • Schapira's masterful seven-inning outing on the mound was followed by a solid performance out of the bullpen by Ivran Romero, who worked around two hits with two strikeouts as he tossed a scoreless eighth.
  • Vaughn Mauterer got the first two outs of the ninth before Aidan Gonzalez took over and struck out the first batter he faced to seal the victory for USD.
TORERO TIDBITS
  • Schapira picked up the win on Saturday evening to move to 3-0 in 2024 as he turned in the longest outing of any San Diego pitcher so far this season (seven innings). His nine strikeouts are a USD career high, and are the second-most by a Torero in a single game this season (Josh Randall, 10 vs. Arizona on February 23). 
  • DeCriscio, Allen, and Peraza all drove in multiple runs on Saturday.
  • Eight of the Toreros' nine starters recorded a hit against the Gaels, including six two-hit performances.
  • Peraza and Worthington led the way with three runs scored apiece, followed by DeCriscio and Armas with two. In total, 10 different Toreros came around to score on Saturday.
  • As a team, the Toreros drew four walks and were hit by a remarkable six pitches in their finale against SMC.
  • San Diego's 16 runs and 15 hits on Saturday night are both tied for its team season high (March 16 at Michigan). The Toreros' 14-run margin of victory against the Gaels in the finale is their largest so far this season.
  • With the win on Saturday evening, USD avoided suffering its first WCC sweep since April 20-22, 2018, when it lost all three games at Pepperdine.
  • San Diego has still never been swept in a conference series under head coach Brock Ungricht, and hasn't suffered a sweep at Fowler Park since April 17-19, 2015 versus San Francisco.
  • USD's schedule against Saint Mary's this weekend was modified due to impending inclement weather in the San Diego area. Games one and two took place in a doubleheader on Friday before Saturday's series finale was played a day early to avoid rain in the forecast on Sunday.
UP NEXT
The Toreros are back in action on Tuesday night, when they remain at home to host Cal State Fullerton for a midweek non-conference matchup at Fowler Park. First pitch against the Titans is set for 6:05 p.m.
 
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