SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – The Pacific baseball program fought tooth and nail all day, dropping its first third round game to No. 5 seed Saint Mary's, 10-7, before falling in an elimination game to No. 3 seed San Francisco, 10-6, on Friday at the West Coast Conference Tournament from Scottsdale Stadium.
The No. 2 seed Tigers (24-30-1, 15-11-1 WCC) battled in the winner's bracket against the Gaels (33-24, 15-12 WCC) in a narrow offensive outburst, followed by another slugfest defeat to the hands of the Dons (27-29, 15-12 WCC).
Game 1 – Saint Mary's 10, Pacific 7
The Tigers and the Gaels went back and forth, trading blow for blow offensively with the home team Gaels edging out a 10-7 decision in the afternoon portion of the WCC Tournament.
Junior
Braeden Schnabel was the straw that stirred the drink of the Pacific offense, going 4-for-5 with a home run, a double and two RBIs. Graduate student
Brendan O'Sullivan collected a multi-hit performance in both games for 22 on the year. It marks the most multi-hit games in a single season since Ben Nemivant in 2023.
Redshirt junior
Garret Plata was tested early, going 5.0 innings and allowing five runs on six hits with one strikeout.
The Gaels jumped out to a 4-0 lead after three innings before Schnabel's solo home run lit a fire under the Tigers' offense in the top of the fourth to get his team on the board. Pacific rallied for a four-run fifth inning to take a 5-4 lead, but Saint Mary's responded with a run to level the score.
After the Tigers carried a 6-5 lead into stretch time from Scottsdale Stadium, the key undoing for the Pacific bullpen was a five-run seven inning by the Gaels to go ahead, 10-6. Pacific scored once in the ninth inning and had the tying runner on first base in the frame but could not complete a comeback bid in their opening game from Friday.
Game 2 – San Francisco 10, Pacific 6
The Tigers' offense was alive and well but came up short once again in the quick turnaround effort against the Dons.
Graduate student
Adan Perez earned the start in the nightcap, going 2.1 innings and allowing four runs on four hits with a strikeout. Graduate student
Ethan Shaver made his 26th appearance of the season in a relief outing, putting him in a tie for top ten all-time for a single season in program history.
Schnabel continued his dominance at the plate, adding two more hits and a team-high three RBIs against the Dons. Schnabel finished the tournament 9-for-13 with four runs and five RBIs.
Senior
Jake Tandy collected a hit in both games today, extending his hitting streak to 18 games. The WCC All-Conference First Team selection went 1-for-4 with a run scored.
The back-and-forth affair saw the Tigers and Dons exchange runs early on before a USF three-run blast in the fourth created some separation for a 7-5 lead. Pacific had ample opportunities to answer, but ultimately came up short to conclude its postseason.
Putting a bow on a historic campaign where the program reached the WCC Tournament for the first time ever, the Tigers will now look ahead to the 2027 season.
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