April 14, 2001
Box Score
PORTLAND -
Gonzaga received two pitching gems from starters Barry Matthews and Sean Lichter on Saturday afternoon as the Zags (16-17, 8-9 WCC) swept a West Coast Conference doubleheader from Portland (16-19, 5-12 WCC) at Pilot Stadium. Gonzaga won the opener 8-0 and the second game 8-1. The teams will conclude the three game series on Sunday at 1 p.m.
In game one Barry Matthews (5-1) dominated the Portland hitting attack, limiting the Pilots to only two hits over eight innings of work including a no-hit performance until Jared Mora singled to open the seventh. Greg Brooks would surrender the other Pilots hit in the bottom of the ninth. Matthews struck out nine and walked only one batter during his stint on the mound.
The Zags took advantage of a Portland throwing error in the first inning to quickly jump out to a 4-0 lead. Jared Hertz singled home Danny Evans and Nate Gold with two outs in the inning. Kevin Richardson followed with the first of his two home runs during the game with a two-run shot to left. Richardson would later add a three-run blast to right in the top of the eighth inning. Gold's RBI single to left in the ninth would round out the Zags scoring in game one.
Richardson finished with a game-high five RBI's on a 3-for-5 performance at the plate. Evans, Matthews, Hertz, John Gebbers and Kevin Cave rounded out the Gonzaga players with two hits in the opener. Portland starter Matt Hollod (2-4) was tagged with loss after pitching into the eighth.
In the second game Sean Lichter (3-1) was perfect through the opening four innings before surrendering a single to Hollod in the fifth. Lichter would pitch into the eighth inning with eight strike outs. Portland's lone run would come from back-to-back doubles by Brad Stewart and Brock Griffin in the bottom of the eighth. Ed Clelland would strike out three of the final four batters to close out the win for Gonzaga.
The Bulldogs jumped on the board in the second as Richardson hit his third home run of the game, a solo shot to left field. Gonzaga added another single run in the third on an Erid Rodland RBI single up the middle. Gebbers doubled home GU's third run of the game in the fourth and Richardson tacked on an RBI single to left in the fifth.
Gonzaga exploded for four more runs in the seventh inning the first on a Gebbers sacrifice fly to center. Following a dropped fly ball for out number three of the inning, Cave singled up the middle to drive home the final two Bulldog runs.
Rodland had a game-high three hits while Richardson and Cave each finished game two with two hits. Portland starter Kyle Corra (2-3) was tagged with the loss after pitching into the fifth inning.
