Baseball Recap: Saint Mary's Triumphs

While Saint Mary's win against Piedmont wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Panthers sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 7-6 victory over the Highlanders on Friday. While the Panthers didn't have the best season last year (they finished 10-17), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.

Damien Nolan was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he tossed 4.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one double.

Royal Smith

Runs (Career)

03/27/26 @ Piedmont	2
03/19/26 @ St. Patrick-St. Vincent	1
03/02/26 vs Salesian College Preparatory	1
02/25/26 vs Stuart Hall	1
02/26/25 @ Oakland Tech	1

In other batting news, Saint Mary's let Royal Smith and Luca Vargas run wild. Smith went 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double, while Vargas went 3-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. Those two runs gave Smith a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Fletcher Oliver, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and one run.

Saint Mary's has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-2 record this season. As for Piedmont, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-4-2.

Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Saint Mary's will take on Alhambra at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. The Panthers are facing the Bulldogs at the right time seeing as the Bulldogs are stuck on a three-game losing streak. As for Piedmont, they will square off against San Leandro at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The Pirates will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each contest than the last.