Gonzaga University
San Francisco
Zags Drop Third Straight Falling To USF 5-3
3/17/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 17, 2001
SAN FRANCISCO - The bottom of the eighth inning continued to be the achilles heel of the Gonzaga baseball team as the Zags surrendered four runs in the bottom of the eighth as they dropped a WCC contest against San Francisco. The Dons held on for the 5-3 win Saturday afternoon at Benedetti Diamond.
The game started as a pitchers duel with staff aces Barry Matthews and Jesse Foppert going toe-to-toe. Each surrendered a solo home run over the first seven innings. Foppert doing the honors for USF in the bottom of the fourth and Kevin Richardson delivering for the Zags in the top of the fifth.
After pitching seven strong innings Matthews would concede the game to the Gonzaga bullpen. Foppert led off the inning with a triple against GU relief pitcher Kyle Nearhood (0-1). Chad Soares then singled home Foppert to give the Dons the lead. Taggert Bozied would end the Dons scoring in the inning with an RBI double to cap his 4-for-4 day at the plate.
Gonzaga (7-10, 2-2 WCC) responded against Foppert (4-1) in the top of the ninth. The Zags scoring one unearned run against the Dons starter. After Nate Gold delivered Gonzaga's final run on a sacrifice fly against Steve Moses, Dons closer David Seccombe would record the final two outs for his fourth save.
Brian Munhall led the Gonzaga hitting attack with two of the Zags six hits. For the third consecutive game Gonzaga yeilded the game winning runs in the bottom of the eighth. During the Zags two-game series at Oregon State the Beavers scored 16 runs in the eighth inning to sweep the set.
Foppert finished 2-for-4 as San Francisco (11-10, 1-3 WCC) snapped a four-game losing skid.
(March 17, 2001 - San Francisco, CA - Benedetti Diamond) Gonzaga (7-10, 2-2) 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 - 3 6 1 San Francisco (11-10, 1-3) 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 4 x - 5 12 1
Matthews, Nearhood (8), Hixson (8), Ingalls (8) and Munhall, Foppert, Moses (9), Seccombe (9) and Booth
W - Foppert (4-1), L - Nearhood (0-1), SV - Seccombe (4)
2B - Munhall, Booth 3B - Foppert, Cirbo HR - Richardson, Foppert
