Last Series Recaps - For the first time since February 13, the Saints were able to play on their home field. It was like they never left, sweeping top-ranked Northwest Nazarene 6-4, and 2-1 on Thursday night.
Northwest Nazarene held a 2-0 lead heading into the Saints' bottom half of the fifth before Ryne Oshiro put the Saints on the board. Then Aaron Renaud put the Saints on top with his two RBI double down the right field later in the inning.
The Nighthawks once again jumped out to a lead, scoring two more runs in the eighth inning. Saint Martin's responded right back with an RBI from Cody Chavis, followed by the game-winning two RBI single from Reid Little.
Finnley Butler tossed a quality start, going seven innings, allowing only two runs, one earned on six hits with three strikeouts. Colin Driscoll and Ryan Driscoll combined to throw the eighth, and Brock Wrolstad earned the save in the ninth.
In the second game, Justice Yamashita limited the Nighthawks to just one run over his complete game. The righty struck out seven Nighthawks while giving up just four hits, and two walks.
The Saints got on the board in the sixth inning when an errant throw from the third baseman allowed Renaud to come home from second to tie the game. With two outs, Chayson Dulatre put the Saints on top for good with his RBI double into the left center gap, scoring Austin Schaler.
Trailing by fourth, heading to the final inning of the series, the Saints mounted a comeback to stun the Nighthawks and take the series over Northwest Nazarene.
Northwest Nazarene jumped on the Saints early in the second, scoring three of their runs in the second, and added another in the sixth.
Saint Martin's began the seventh inning with a double from Cody Chavis and put runners on the corners following an NNU error. Chayson Dulatre walked to load the bases, putting Griffin Williams at the plate. With nowhere to go, Griffin Williams was drilled to force in the first run of the game.
After a strikeout for the first out, Hunter Kosmider drove in the second run with a sac fly, putting the Saints down to their final out. Ryne Oshiro delivered with a single through the right side, scoring pinch-runner Alohi Arrechi. Aaron Renaud followed suit with his RBI single to left, scoring Williams, tying the game at 4-4, and putting the winning run in scoring position.
Bryant Nakagawa, who came in as a pinch-hitter earlier in the game, stepped to the plate. The lefty catcher drove the ball to left center, deep enough to bring Oshiro home, and send the bench into a frenzy, mobbing Nakagawa out at second base as the Saints walked off Northwest Nazarene 5-4.
Cole Hatton got the start for the Saints, going five innings, allowing three runs with four strikeouts. Ryan Driscoll pitched the sixth inning, and Aaron Nease, who earned the win, pitched a clean seventh.
The Nighthawks took the first game of the doubleheader 5-2, scoring all their runs in the first three innings. Austin Schaler, who tied the school record for most triples, drove in the Saints' first run on a triple in the second inning. Drew Forgione's double in the fourth accounted for the second RBI of the game.
Troy McCormick went 2.2 innings, allowing five runs before Kameron Richards came to close the out the game with 6.1 shutout relief.
Saints Stun League Leaders, Win Team Of The Week - At the halfway point of the conference baseball season, Saint Martin’s was tied for last place and four games out of a qualifying spot for the GNAC Championships. But thanks to a key series win over first-place Northwest Nazarene, the Saints are making a run toward the playoffs.
After sweeping a Friday doubleheader from NNU, the Saints dropped game three but pulled a magical ending out of the hat in the finale, scoring five runs in the ninth inning off of Division II’s saves leader to win the game 5-4 and the series 3-1 in stunning fashion. For the upset series win in which they rallied in the final two innings in all three victories, the Saints have been named the GNAC Team of the Week.
"We’ve been waiting for our breakthrough moment as a team," head coach Kelly Gau said. "We got a bunch of great performances this weekend."
One such performance, a strong start from Finnley Butler, put the Saints off on the right foot in the series on Friday. The sophomore threw seven innings, giving up two runs, one earned, on six hits. As soon as Butler was pulled, however, the Nighthawks rallied with two runs in the top of the eighth inning to take a 4-3 lead.
The Saints didn’t even wait to record an out before retaking the lead in the bottom of the inning. Aaron Renaud singled and Michael Yamaguchi walked to set the table for Cody Chavis, who doubled down the left-field line to score one run. Reid Little drove in Yamaguchi and Chavis with a single to right-center. With a new two-run lead, Brock Wrolstad handled the ninth for his first save of the year.
Saint Martin’s had the perfect starter for the nightcap in sophomore Justice Yamashita. Yamashita, who leads the GNAC with a 2.52 ERA and ranks second with a .205 opposing batting average, had already shut down the Nighthawks once this season. In Nampa back on March 11, Yamashita threw a seven-inning complete-game three-hit shutout in a 1-0 SMU win, the only game that Saint Martin’s won in the first four-game clash between the two teams.
Yamashita nearly replicated his feat, allowing one run on four hits with seven strikeouts in another seven-inning complete-game effort. However, Yamashita was in line for the loss with the Saints trailing 1-0 until the bottom of the sixth. Nighthawks closer Max Holtzclaw replaced NNU starter Brock Moffitt after 5.1 innings pitched and struck out the first batter he faced with Renaud on first. With two outs, Little reached on a throwing error by the NNU third baseman and, with Renaud running on contact, he was able to come around to score to tie the game.
Chayson Dulatre laced a double into the left-center-field gap to score pinch-rinner Austin Schaler, and out of nothing the Saints had a 2-1 lead for Yamashita to close out in the seventh, which he did by retiring the Nighthawks in order with two strikeouts. Yamashita was named GNAC Pitcher of the Week for the second time this season. He also won the award in his previous start against NNU.
After a 5-2 win in Saturday’s opening game, Northwest Nazarene appeared to be heading toward a series split, allowing only a fourth-inning Renaud single through six innings and leading 4-0, but Saint Martin’s saved their best rally for last. In the seventh and final inning, the first two batters reached on a single and a throwing error, prompting NNU to bring in Holtzclaw, who leads Division II with 10 saves this season. After the pitching change, Dulatre walked and Griffin Williams was hit by a pitch to force in the Saints’ first run, but a strikeout and a sacrifice fly meant the Saints were down to their final out trailing 4-2 with runners on first and second.
Shortstop Ryne Oshiro kept the game alive by working a full count and poking a single to right field to score pinch-runner Alohi Arrechi, and Renaud capped his week-long tear with an RBI single to score Williams and tie the game. For the week, Renaud batted a GNAC-leading .478 (7 for 15) with three RBI and two runs scored. The comeback was complete when Bryant Nakagawa, who entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the fourth inning, hit a fly ball that sat down in the gap in left-center allowing Oshiro to score easily, raising his arm in celebration down the third-base line.
"Our pitching and defense have continued to keep us in games," Gau said. "And we were relentless in keeping belief in each other at the plate."
Yamashita Grabs Second GNAC Pitcher of the Week - Yamashita continued his reign of terror on the GNAC, going for his fifth complete game, while only allowing one run on four hits, and seven strikeouts. Yamashita tossed his third straight complete game, capturing a win over top-ranked Northwest Nazarene.
Yamashita Named GNAC Pitcher of the Week - Justice Yamashita silenced the Nighthawks bats, throwing a complete game shutout to earn the GNAC's baseball pitcher of the week. Over seven innings, Yamashita allowed only three hits, while punching out six and recording his first shutout of his career.
Saints' Baseball Voted 5th In GNAC Preseason Poll - With a core of their bats returning in 2022, along with a pitching staff eager to prove itself, the Saints were selected fifth in the GNAC Preseason Coaches' Poll on Friday.
Earning four of the five first place votes, Northwest Nazarene was selected as the preseason favorite with 24 points. Western Oregon followed up in second with 19 points, then Central Washington with one first place vote at 15. Montana State Billings, and Saint Martin's rounded out the poll with 10 and seven points respectively.
The Saints will be led by All-Conference bats Aaron Renaud, catchers Bryant Nakagawa and Mark Steward, and outfielder Cody Chavis. Renaud, an honorable mention led the offense with seven home runs, and 17 RBIs with a .315 batting average. In 37 games, Renaud slugged .597 along with a .399 on-base percentage and scored 23 runs.
Nakagawa earned a second team All-Conference selection after collecting a .460 on-base percentage in 23 games. However, Nakagawa proved to be lethal at throwing out would be baserunners, catching eight of 13 attempts. Also, he posted his second straight perfect fielding percentage season, with 65 putouts, and 12 assists.
Freshman catcher/designated hitter Mark Steward quickly made an impact, leading the Saints in batting average at .383, along with two home runs, and 12 RBIs. Steward slugged .521 along with a remarkable .448 on-base percentage.
Centerfielder Cody Chavis was named honorable mention with his .272 season along with one home run, and 15 RBIs. Chavis started all 38 games he saw action in, and managed seven doubles, two triples, and 20 runs scored.
Saint Martin's must replace all-time strikeout leader Tanner Inouye, who was named to three GNAC All-Conference teams in his career. All-Conference honorable mention Zach Alcos looks to lead the young but talented Saints' staff. In nine games, making four starts, Alcos recorded 22 strikeouts in 27 innings along with a 5.33 ERA.
The Saints return five of the top six pitchers who recorded the most innings last season. Cole Hatton was second on the team with 44 innings pitched, along with lefty Ryan Ancheta at 34 innings of work. Finnley Butler posted the team's lowest ERA at 5.29 in 32.1 innings. Justice Yamashita and Troy McCormick also look to step up on the mound with a combined 51 innings of work last season.
Other notable returners in 2022 include infielders Ryne Oshiro, Ty Matsunami, and Braeden McNally, along with outfielders Austin Schaler, Griffin Williams, and Reid Little. Utility players like Dakota Hill, Cody Isa, and Hunter Kosmider provide depth for the Saints.
Saint Martin's welcomes eight new players to the roster in 2022 including senior transfer Brock Wrolstad from Missouri Western State, and sophomore transfer Jonathan Shimabukuro from Edmonds CC. The Saints feature six freshmen on the roster in Colin Driscoll from West Linn, Oregon, DJ Akiyama from Aiea, Hawaii, and Hunter Sasaki from Mililani, Hawaii. Along with Kameron Richards from Lacey, Washington, Aaron Nease from Salem, Oregon, and Sam McCauley from Baker City, Oregon.
