Sunday, March 1
San Jose, CA
1:00 PM
Saint Mary's College of California
7-4
13
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San Jose State
4-7
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6
7
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9
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E
Saint Mary's College
2
0
0
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0
7
0
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4
13
17
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San Jose State
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1
0
1
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9
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#14 Sam Kretsch: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 6 SO (career high), SV (2) vs. San Jose State
Photo by: Saint Mary's Athletics / Tod Fierner
BSB | Sam Kretsch Records Second Save of the Week to Seal 13-4 Victory over San Jose State
3/1/2026 5:44:00 PM | Baseball
SAN JOSE, Calif. - The Saint Mary's baseball team bounced back after its shutout defeat on Saturday to hang 13 runs on 17 hits in the series finale on Sunday, defeating San Jose State 13-4 to finish the week 4-1.
The Gaels' offense won't have too many days like they did on Saturday as they came back with some firepower, scoring 13 runs while matching their season high with 17 hits on the afternoon at Excite Ballpark. Five different players finished with multiple hits as Saint Mary's (7-4) broke the game open with a seven-run sixth inning which was capped off by a three-run blast from Jacob Johnson.
Senior transfer Jake Hilton went five innings to earn his second win of the season while sophomore right hander Sam Kretsch was nails once again, closing the game with three scoreless innings to record his second save of the week. The Gaels took the four-game series over San Jose State (4-7) three games to one and finished the long five-game week 4-1.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Saint Mary's was shutout just once last season as the West Coast Conference's best offense did not plan on making that a habit here in 2026, coming back to hang 13 runs and match its season high with 17 hits in the series finale against San Jose State. Jake Hilton got his second consecutive start for the Gaels on Sunday and went five strong, allowing just two runs while striking out a season high seven batters.
The southpaw got some nice run support early as the Gaels scored two in the first frame thanks to RBI singles from Makoa Sniffen and Ian Armstrong. San Jose State ripped a pair of doubles in the fifth to tie the game at two but the Gaels offense put Hilton in line for the win with a massive seven-run sixth inning. RBI singles came from Jared Mettam, Tanner Griffith and Brady Petit before SMC big bopper Jacob Johnson blasted his seventh home run of the year to deep left field, giving Saint Mary's a 9-2 lead. Johnson's seventh long ball of the season still stands as a tie for the national lead through eleven games.
Armstrong homered for the second time this season to contribute to a four-run ninth inning, helping seal the nine-run victory for the Gaels. Lukas Sarantos gave Saint Mary's an inning following Hilton and then sophomore Sam Kretsch would come in for his third appearance of the week and completely shut the door, allowing just one hit over three scoreless innings to record his second save of the week.
Kretsch finished the Gaels' five-game week with two saves, a win in game one over the Spartans and a career high six strikeouts in his three-inning outing today. Johnson and Armstrong led the Gaels with three RBI each while Griffith and Petit were a lethal 1-2 punch at the top of the lineup, combining for six hits, four runs scored and two RBI.
GAME NOTES
Saint Mary's will host UC Davis for its midweek matchup on Tuesday afternoon before heading to Southern California to take on San Diego State in a three-game series starting on Friday. Additional game information can be found at smcgaels.com.
Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.
#GaelsRise
The Gaels' offense won't have too many days like they did on Saturday as they came back with some firepower, scoring 13 runs while matching their season high with 17 hits on the afternoon at Excite Ballpark. Five different players finished with multiple hits as Saint Mary's (7-4) broke the game open with a seven-run sixth inning which was capped off by a three-run blast from Jacob Johnson.
Senior transfer Jake Hilton went five innings to earn his second win of the season while sophomore right hander Sam Kretsch was nails once again, closing the game with three scoreless innings to record his second save of the week. The Gaels took the four-game series over San Jose State (4-7) three games to one and finished the long five-game week 4-1.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Saint Mary's was shutout just once last season as the West Coast Conference's best offense did not plan on making that a habit here in 2026, coming back to hang 13 runs and match its season high with 17 hits in the series finale against San Jose State. Jake Hilton got his second consecutive start for the Gaels on Sunday and went five strong, allowing just two runs while striking out a season high seven batters.
The southpaw got some nice run support early as the Gaels scored two in the first frame thanks to RBI singles from Makoa Sniffen and Ian Armstrong. San Jose State ripped a pair of doubles in the fifth to tie the game at two but the Gaels offense put Hilton in line for the win with a massive seven-run sixth inning. RBI singles came from Jared Mettam, Tanner Griffith and Brady Petit before SMC big bopper Jacob Johnson blasted his seventh home run of the year to deep left field, giving Saint Mary's a 9-2 lead. Johnson's seventh long ball of the season still stands as a tie for the national lead through eleven games.
Armstrong homered for the second time this season to contribute to a four-run ninth inning, helping seal the nine-run victory for the Gaels. Lukas Sarantos gave Saint Mary's an inning following Hilton and then sophomore Sam Kretsch would come in for his third appearance of the week and completely shut the door, allowing just one hit over three scoreless innings to record his second save of the week.
Kretsch finished the Gaels' five-game week with two saves, a win in game one over the Spartans and a career high six strikeouts in his three-inning outing today. Johnson and Armstrong led the Gaels with three RBI each while Griffith and Petit were a lethal 1-2 punch at the top of the lineup, combining for six hits, four runs scored and two RBI.
GAME NOTES
- Saint Mary's matched its season high with 17 hits and have now recorded double-digit hits in 9 of its 11 games this season
- Five players finished the game with multiple hits
- Griffith and Petit combined to go 6-for-10 out of the top two spots in batting order
- The Gaels stole a season high seven bases in the 13-4 win on Sunday, their highest single-game total since swiping eight bags in a 16-4 win over Northern Colorado in 2022
- Sam Kretsch was a part of three decisions on the week, earning two saves and a win
- Kretsch has now made a team high five appearances this season
- Jacob Johnson blasted his seventh home run of the season to keep pace with the NCAA Division I lead. Johnson leads the team with 21 RBI and an .889 slugging percentage
- Jake Hilton moves to 2-0 on the season with a 1.50 ERA
- Hilton also struck out a season high seven batters
- Saint Mary's pitching struck out 14 batters in the game, good for its second highest single-game total this season
Saint Mary's will host UC Davis for its midweek matchup on Tuesday afternoon before heading to Southern California to take on San Diego State in a three-game series starting on Friday. Additional game information can be found at smcgaels.com.
Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.
#GaelsRise
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Hilton, Jake (2-0)
L: MCGREW, EJ (0-1)
S: Kretsch, Sam (2)
Batting:
2B: Griffith, Tanner 1 ; Castellanos, Diego 1 ; Williams, Brett 1
HR: Johnson, Jacob 1 ; Armstrong, Ian 1
RBI: Griffith, Tanner 1 ; Petit, Brady 1 ; Johnson, Jacob 3 ; Sniffen, Makoa 1 ; Castellanos, Diego 1 ; Armstrong, Ian 3 ; Mettam, Jared 2 ; Kashimoto, Cody 1
SH: Williams, Brett 1 ; Kashimoto, Cody 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Griffith, Tanner 2 ; Petit, Brady 2 ; Johnson, Jacob 1 ; Sniffen, Makoa 1 ; Castellanos, Diego 2 ; Armstrong, Ian 2 ; Mettam, Jared 2 ; Kashimoto, Cody 1
SB: Griffith, Tanner 1 ; Sniffen, Makoa 1 ; Castellanos, Diego 1 ; Armstrong, Ian 2 ; Kashimoto, Cody 2
HBP: Sniffen, Makoa 1 ; Castellanos, Diego 1 ; Kashimoto, Cody 1
Batting:
2B: ROWLES, Peyton 1 ; CABALLERO, Rocco 1 ; MCCOY, Jake 2 ; RAMIREZ, Alan 1
HR: JACKSON, Dylan 1
RBI: FERNANDES, Alex 1 ; MCCOY, Jake 1 ; JACKSON, Dylan 2
Base Running:
RUNS: ROWLES, Peyton 1 ; CABALLERO, Rocco 1 ; RAMIREZ, Alan 1 ; JACKSON, Dylan 1
SB: FERNANDES, Alex 1
Game Leaders
AB
5
R
2
H
3
RBI
1
AB
5
R
2
H
3
RBI
1
AB
5
R
2
H
3
RBI
3
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
C
/ BaseballOF
/ BaseballLHP
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballRHP
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballRHP
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballBSB | Saint Mary's at San Jose State Game 4 Highlights, 3-1-26
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BSB | Saint Mary's vs. San Jose State Game 1 Highlights, 2-26-26
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BSB | Saint Mary's at Bakersfield Highlights, 2-24-26
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