SAN DIEGO — After losing Friday and Saturday in the first two games of its series against Saint Mary's at Fowler Park, San Diego trailed 5-0 after four innings on Sunday.

But in the weekend finale, the Toreros (16-25, 8-10 WCC) responded back, scoring sixteen of the game's final 17 runs to stamp a 16-6 win and end the series against the Gaels (25-16, 10-8 WCC) on a walk-off single down the first base line from Jayton Greer in the eighth inning. 

"I was ready for it," said Greer, who went 1-for-2 with two RBI on a Sunday afternoon in which San Diego pounded out a season-high 17 hits. "My first pitch, I swung really hard, out of my shoes. (Head coach Brock Ungricht) stopped me for a second, made me breathe and just calmed me down, didn't let the moment get too big.

"I felt like I just stayed simple and just let the results happen." 

Greer came in during the fifth inning in a pinch hitting situation for Aden Howard. And like he did in the ninth inning during the series finale against Seattle U, he worked one of 10 USD walks as part of an eight-run frame, which marked the most runs scored in a single inning this season for San Diego. 

During the fifth, the Toreros batted around as Connor Meidroth registered a leadoff base hit and a bases-loaded RBI hit by pitch that was confirmed on replay. CJ Moran recorded two of his three hits in the fifth inning with a double that preceded a single. 

One inning before Greer's game-sealing knock, San Diego batted around again in the seventh, another inning that started with a base hit from Meidroth. Moran then achieved his sixth three-hit game of 2026 on a base hit to right as Meidroth went first to third. Then, San Diego relied on its signature offensive identity as Gage Mestas laid down a safety squeeze bunt that allowed Meidroth to score. 

"I'm doing whatever it takes for the team," Ungricht said when bunting came into play. "We're going to move runners. We're going to execute. No one's bigger than the standard. No one's bigger than the program. They're asked to do something. They want to do it. They want to get it done. That was a heck of a bunt, and it ends up getting a knock out of it too, and we get a run." 

That started a six-run seventh inning, highlighted by Diego Gonzalez smashing a three-run home run to take an 11-6 lead. It marks Gonzalez's sixth home run of his freshman campaign and his fifth in the last five games. 

Andrew Gauna also joined the home run party. He drove a ball over the right center field wall  to lead off the eighth inning. 

After the Toreros took their first lead of the day, Drake Frize and Hayden Cody were tasked to hold on to the lead.  

After Cody — who entered in relief of Frize — fell behind 2-0 on the second batter he faced after a leadoff walk, Ungricht made a visit to chat with his pitcher.

"He told me to slow down, have fun," Cody said of Ungricht's message on the mound. "He reminded me this is my last year, and what kind of note do I want to go out on? There's nothing to lose. So, it got me back down to the ground. If I lose, they're going to beat me, and so be it. Things just happened to go the other way today." 

After the meeting, Cody got consecutive strikeouts before inducing a flyout to put a critical zero and keep the momentum on the Toreros' side. 

San Diego went with three upperclassmen to begin the day on the hill. Nate DeSchryver did not allow an earned run in 2.2 innings against the Gaels. Then Frize (3-5) pitched into the sixth, limiting the damage before earning the win.  

After Cody, the Toreros then turned to their fourth graduate student of the afternoon in Logan Piper, who worked a scoreless eighth inning. 
 
"It's about really trusting your brothers. I don't have to do it all myself," Ungricht said. "All the old guys on the mound today. Nate set the tone. I thought he had a great start compared to what he had been the last couple outings. Then Drake did a heck of a job out of the pen, passing it off to Hayden Cody, who did an unbelievable job. And then passing off to Logan Piper, who did a heck of a job for an inning there and hold it down for us to win the game."
 
NOTABLE 

• San Diego registered a season high eight runs scored in the fifth inning.
• It is also the Toreros' third time with at least eight runs scored in an inning against Saint Mary's since 2025. In addition to Sunday's eight-run fifth, San Diego also scored 13 in the first inning in Moraga (April 12, 2025) and nine in the seventh during the WCC Tournament (May 24, 2025). 
• USD set a season-high in hits (17), surpassing the 16 hits set at Charlotte (February 14) and at San Francisco (April 10). 
• Greer, who has a hit in each of his last five games, has one hit in eight of his last nine games since April 7 at UC Irvine. The freshman is hitting .320 (8-for-25) during that stretch. 
• Gonzalez, who recorded his first collegiate three-hit and four-RBI game, blasted his sixth home run of 2026 and his fifth in the last five games. Since April 18, the freshman is batting .480 (12-for-25) during his six-game hitting streak.  
• Moran recorded his sixth three-hit game of the season Sunday as part of a 3-for-5 day. He is hitting .306 on the year, including .500 (11-for-22) over his last five games with four multi-hit performances. 
• Meidroth went 3-for-4 with three runs and two RBI in the No. 9 spot of the lineup. It is his second three-hit game of the season and first since the series finale at Pepperdine (March 29). 
• Gauna launched his sixth home run of 2026 in the eighth inning. With his first-inning single, Gauna has at least one hit in 14 of his last 15 games, dating back to the series finale at Pepperdine (March 29). 
• DeSchryver made his third start in the last 11 days, including against UC San Diego (April 21) and Seattle U (April 17) 
• Frize, who earned the win and got two strikeouts, has at least one punchout in 12 of 13 appearances this season.
• Cody, who totaled two strikeouts, has at least one punchout in seven straight appearances and nine of his last 10 trips to the mound.  

THEY SAID IT 

• Greer on having Adrian Beltre Jr. coach first base Sunday:
  • "He was so happy to be a first base coach today. It was awesome. He keeps it loose. He's there, he's high-fiving you. I think he had snacks. I didn't really get any snacks. (Assistant coach Josh Nicoloff) keeps it real loose, too, but it's cool to have Belt over there."