SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - No. 3 seed San Francisco defeated No. 5 seed Saint Mary's, 9-8, in the championship game of the 2026 West Coast Conference Baseball Tournament from Scottsdale Stadium in Scottsdale, Ariz., forcing the if-necessary game later tonight. 

With the win, the Dons and Gaels will meet once more on Saturday at 5:15 p.m. on ESPN+ to determine the tournament champion. 

San Francisco took the lead for good with a six-run fourth inning. The rally included a two-run double by TJ Rogers and a two-run homer by Jackson Nystrom. 

The Gaels got on the board quickly with three in the bottom of the first. Ian Armstrong slapped a two-run double to right to put SMC up 2-0. Ian Josephson then doubled in Armstrong to increase the Gaels' lead to 3-0. 

The Dons struck back to tie the game in the third. TJ Rogers got the Dons on the board with an RBI ground out before Jackson Nystrom snuck a two-run single into left-center, scoring Jared Lewis and Isaiah Landry. 

In the bottom of the third, Armstrong blasted a two-run homer to left, giving the Gaels a 5-3 lead. Armstrong accounted for four of the first five runs for SMC. 

The Gaels chipped away at the 9-5 deficit with three runs in the bottom of the eighth but couldn't get the tying run across home plate. 

On the mound. Gauge Lockhart earned the win going four and two-thirds, limiting the Gaels to just the three earned runs in the eighth. He struck out three batters. Nick Bacura picked up the save after going one and two-thirds, allowing no runs and no hits while striking out two.