Down 6-4 heading into the bottom of the sixth, Sean Narby (Auburn, Wash.) led off with a double, and Josh Kutz (Seattle, Wash.) followed with a home run to right-center field. With Doug Buser (Orinda, Calif.) on first base, Bryndon Ecklund (Elma, Wash.) singled, and Cullen Hendrickson (Auburn, Wash.) followed with his own single to drive in Buser and give the Redhawks the lead for good.
After a pitching change, Josh Kalalau (University Place, Wash.) singled through the left side to score Ecklund. With two outs, Steve Kirbach (Kirkland, Wash.) sent a ground ball towards shortstop Patrick Wisdom, but his wild throw towards third base allowed Hendrickson to come around and score the fifth and final run of the inning, giving Seattle U a 9-6 lead.
Kutz led off the seventh inning with his second home run of the game, a solo shot to center field. With one out, Buser reached on an infield single, followed by a single by Ecklund, a single by Hendrickson that scored Buser, and a single by Kalalau that drove in Ecklund. With those hits, the Redhawks reached 19 hits and 12 runs for the contest, both season highs.
The other story of the day was the pitching of Skip Spencer (Springfield, Ore.), who just recently converted to pitcher from catcher and was making his second appearance of the season. After allowing a double and a walk to the first two batters he faced in relief of Max Whieldon (Trabuco Hills, Calif.), Spencer set down ten of the next 11 batters he saw to earn the victory.
With one out in the first inning, Ecklund and Hendrickson notched back-to-back singles, and Kalalau walked to load the bases. Nate Roberts (Silverdale, Wash.) sent a single into short center field that scored Ecklund and Hendrickson and advanced Kalalau to third base, but was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a double. After a walk to Kirbach, Narby singled through the left side to score Kalalau and give Seattle U an early 3-0 lead.
Saint Mary's (17-29-1) started its comeback in the fourth inning with back-to-back singles by Wisdom and Brenden Kalfus. Wisdom would come around and score on a single to right field by Toby DeMello. In the fifth inning, Donald Collins hit a home run to right-center field, and Troy Channing would double and score on a Kalfus single to tie the game at 3-3.
Hendrickson led off the bottom of the fifth inning with a home run that Kalfus just missed bringing back into the field of play, but the Gaels answered in the top of the sixth as, with two on and two out, Shawn O'Brien drove in Greg Ditmer with a single. After Spencer replaced Whieldon, Channing's fly ball to right field was not judged properly by Narby and ended up over his head, scoring Collins and O'Brien to give Saint Mary's the 6-4 lead.
Whieldon allowed just two hits through the first three innings, but struggled the rest of the way before being replaced, finishing with 10 hits, two walks, and six runs allowed in 5 2/3 innings of work. Saint Mary's starter Kyle Barraclough took the loss, giving up 13 hits, four walks, and nine runs, eight of them earned, in 5 1/3 innings. Patrick Keane went the rest of the way for the Gaels, giving up six hits and three runs in 2 2/3 innings of relief.
Ecklund and Hendrickson each went 4-for-5 with three runs scored apiece, with Hendrickson also driving in three runs. Narby finished the day 3-for-5, while Buser, Kalalau, and Kutz all finished with two hits apiece, with Buser scoring twice and Kutz scoring twice with three RBI.
DeMello went 2-for-4 for the Gaels, while O'Brien, Channing, and Kalfus earned 2-for-5 performances during the afternoon. One day after combining for 19 runs and 22 hits, the Redhawks and the Gaels collectively earned 18 runs and 31 hits.
Seattle University (10-38) will conclude the 2010 season with a doubleheader against Saint Mary's Sunday, May 23, beginning at 11 a.m. back at Bannerwood Park. Before the first game, Buser, the lone senior on the squad, will be honored for his contributions in helping the Seattle U baseball program return to competition after 24 years. Live stats and live audio for both games will be available on GoSeattleU.com.