Saint Mary's defeated the University of the Pacific 8-2 Friday night in the opening game of their West Coast Conference baseball series at Klein Family Field. Saint Mary's scored eight unanswered runs after Pacific took an early lead.
Saint Mary's improved its record to 24-20 overall and 8-8 in conference play with the win. Pacific's record moved to 18-28 overall and 6-10 in the WCC.
Pacific scored the first two runs in the second inning. Braeden Schnabel hit a home run, his fifth of the season, and Kordell Brown added an RBI hit.
Saint Mary's responded in the third inning, tying the game with two runs. They took the lead for good in the fourth inning when Ryan Pierce hit his ninth home run of the season.
Lukas Sarantos earned the win for Saint Mary's, pitching five-plus innings. Garret Plata recorded his first career save, throwing 3.1 scoreless innings in relief.
Pacific starting pitcher Regan Carter took the loss. He pitched five innings.
Saint Mary's defense contributed to the win, including a 9-2 double play in the sixth inning executed by right fielder Diego Castellanos. The Gaels also tied their season high with six stolen bases.
The two teams play the second game of the series Saturday night at Klein Family Field. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. PDT.
