Saint Mary's Tops Pacific Tigers 10-7 in WCC Tourney

On Friday, May 22, 2026, the Pacific Tigers' path through the winner's bracket of the 2026 WCC Baseball Tournament came to an abrupt halt. No. 5 seed Saint Mary's defeated No. 2 Pacific by a final of Saint Mary's 10, Pacific 7 at Scottsdale Stadium in Scottsdale, Ariz., sending the Gaels directly to Saturday's championship game and forcing the Tigers into an immediate elimination contest.

The game was a legitimate slugfest — Pacific rallied from a 4-0 deficit to take a lead in the fifth inning before Saint Mary's offense reasserted itself through the seventh. The result continues a postseason trend that has tested Pacific's resilience: the Tigers now must beat San Francisco tonight or see their 2025-26 season end in the Arizona desert.

How Did Saint Mary's Build Its Lead?

Saint Mary's constructed the foundation of its victory through the first three innings, largely capitalizing on Pacific defensive miscues. The Gaels scored in the bottom of the first when Tanner Griffith came home on a wild pitch. In the second inning, a throwing error by Diego Davis on a stolen base attempt by Jared Mettam allowed Jacob Johnson to score from third, and an RBI single by Cody Kashimoto then plated Mettam to make it 3-0. Ian Armstrong extended the advantage to 4-0 with a home run off the light tower in the bottom of the third, as reported by WCC Sports.

The Gaels demonstrated composure under pressure throughout: each time Pacific edged ahead or closed the gap, Saint Mary's answered within the same or following half-inning. That pattern of immediate response was ultimately the decisive tactical difference in the contest.

When Did Pacific Seize — and Lose — Control?

Pacific's most productive stretch came in the fifth inning. Braeden Schnabel had already cut the deficit with a solo home run to right field in the fourth. Then, in the top of the fifth, an RBI single by Diego Davis scored Rylan Evans, who had previously doubled to deep right to make it 4-2. A sacrifice fly to center by Robert Orr made it 4-3, and a two-run double by Grant McArthur scored Jake Tandy and Brendan O'Sullivan to give Pacific a 5-4 lead — their first and only lead of the game to that point.

Saint Mary's tied it at five in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI double by Makoa Sniffen. Pacific reclaimed a brief 6-5 edge in the top of the seventh on an RBI double by Schnabel, but the Gaels again answered quickly in the bottom half — an RBI single by Sniffen tied it, a bases-loaded walk gave Saint Mary's the lead, and a bases-clearing double to right by Josephson put the game out of reach at Saint Mary's 10, Pacific 6. Pacific loaded the bases with one out in the ninth but could not complete the comeback, with Jake Hilton recording his first save of the season to close it out.

Who Were the Standout Performers?

Schnabel was the clear individual highlight for Pacific. The Tigers' hitter finished 4-for-5 with a home run, a double, two RBI, and one run scored — a performance that kept Pacific competitive but ultimately could not compensate for the team's broader defensive lapses and bullpen struggles in the late innings.

For Saint Mary's, the offensive production was distributed across the lineup. Josephson was the biggest single-game contributor with three RBI, capped by the bases-clearing double in the seventh. Sniffen added two hits and two RBI, while Griffith, Castellanos, and Kashimoto each recorded two hits. The Gaels' ability to produce in clusters — rather than relying on a single performer — made them difficult to contain once they had runners on base.

Where Does This Leave Pacific in the Tournament?

The loss drops Pacific out of the winner's bracket and into an elimination game on Friday, May 22, 2026 at 7 PM PT against No. 3 San Francisco — a team that San Francisco already defeated Pacific 10-6 earlier in the 2026 WCC Tournament. That result means Pacific must beat a team they have already lost to once this week. A second loss tonight ends the Tigers' season.

Saint Mary's, meanwhile, advances to Saturday's WCC Championship Game at 1 PM PT on ESPNU. As the defending conference tournament champions, the Gaels are now one win away from becoming just the second WCC program to win back-to-back conference tournaments since Pepperdine did it in 2014 and 2015 — a mark of sustained postseason excellence that Pacific had positioned itself to challenge as the No. 2 seed entering this week.

What Does Pacific Need in the Elimination Round?

Pacific's most immediate priority is shoring up the defensive execution that proved costly against Saint Mary's. The throwing error by Davis in the second inning opened the door to a multi-run frame, a pattern that can be fatal in single-elimination formats. The Tigers have shown they can generate offensive production — Schnabel's 4-for-5 effort and the fifth-inning rally demonstrated that capacity — but the margin for defensive error tonight is effectively zero.

Fans who want to show their support for the program heading into this high-stakes elimination game can represent Pacific's baseball tradition with the Pacific Baseball Division I T-Shirt, a clean way to back the Tigers as they look to extend their 2025-26 season.

Pacific's tournament run in 2026 has been a study in offensive capability meeting postseason volatility. The Tigers entered the WCC Tournament as the No. 2 seed with legitimate championship aspirations — those aspirations are still alive but now contingent on a win against a San Francisco team that has already beaten them once this week. The next 24 hours will define the program's postseason legacy for the 2025-26 season.