LAS VEGAS - An early pitcher's duel ended with an upset as the No. 5 seed Saint Mary's defeated the West Coast Conference's top seed LMU as the Gaels won, 4-1, in the 2023 WCC Baseball Tournament for Las Vegas Ballpark. 

For the second-straight game, the long ball was difference maker for Saint Mary's. Less than 24 hours after popping four home runs in a first-round win over San Diego, the Gaels blasted two home runs in the top of the eighth to go on top. Gavin Napier went deep with a two-run home run first to put SMC up, 2-1, before Coleman Schmidt belted his third homer of the tournament, another two-run shot, to put SMC up, 4-1. 

Napier, Schmidt and Blake McDonald all produced three hits on the day for Saint Mary's.

The starting pitchers were mowing batters down early on in this game. The 2023 WCC Pitcher of the Year Diego Barrera from LMU struck out five batters in seven innings of work, while his counterpart, Ryan Sanders of Saint Mary's, recorded four Ks and only allowed one hit through the first four frames. Sanders ended his day going six-plus innings, allowing one earned run with five strikeouts. 

LMU finally broke through in the bottom of the sixth. Khadim Diaw, the 2023 WCC Freshman of the Year, began the inning with a single to right. A wild pitch moved him over to second. Another single to right by Sam Biller put Lions at the corners with nobody out. A sacrifice fly of the bat of Jared Thomas but the Lions up, 1-0. 

Napier was instrumental in the win with his glove, as well. In the bottom of the fifth, LMU had a chance to score the game's first run after a single and an error put a Lion on second with two outs. A diving stop on a ground ball by Napier saved a run and the Gaels got out of the inning. 

With today's win, Saint Mary's will play the winner of tonight's matchup between No. 3 seed Santa Clara and No. 2 seed Portland at 4:15 tomorrow in a winner's bracket game. LMU will play the loser of the game at noon on Friday in an elimination game.