AP Sports Preview

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (Interstat) — Saint Mary’s and Pacific meet Friday night at Scottsdale Stadium in a nonconference baseball matchup, with the Gaels riding momentum from a dominant win and the Tigers seeking to build on their own victory.

Saint Mary’s (30-24) enters after a 13-4 rout of Gonzaga on Thursday. Pitcher Sam Kretsch threw six scoreless innings, allowing no hits and two earned runs while striking out six. The right-hander has been inconsistent of late: he tossed five scoreless frames in a win over Loyola Marymount on May 9, but was tagged for seven hits and five earned runs in 1 1/3 innings against San Francisco on May 15. Over his last five starts, Kretsch has a 4.30 ERA with 29 strikeouts in 24 innings.

Pacific (24-27-1) comes off an 8-4 win over San Francisco on Thursday. Starter Zach Todd worked 6 2/3 innings, allowing five hits and two earned runs with five strikeouts. The lefty has been stellar in his past four outings, posting a 1.83 ERA and 25 strikeouts over 24 2/3 innings. He threw a complete-game shutout against Loyola Marymount on May 1, scattering two hits with 11 strikeouts.

The teams met earlier this season, with Saint Mary’s sweeping a two-game series April 3-4 in Moraga, California. The Gaels won 6-4 and 2-1, holding Pacific to one run over the final 18 innings.

Saint Mary’s has won six of its last eight games, including a 9-2 victory at Pepperdine on Wednesday. Tanner Griffith drove in a run with three hits against Gonzaga. Pacific has won three of its last four, including a sweep of Loyola Marymount from May 1-3.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 7-6 Saint Mary’s victory, giving the Gaels a 78.4 percent probability of winning.

The weather forecast for game time conditions not immediately available.