April 14, 2002
Box Score
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Gonzaga University got a two-run home run for Nate Gold and a two-run triple from Jeff Culpepper on its way to a 5-2 West Coast Conference baseball victory over the University of San Francisco Sunday at Benedetti Field.
The Bulldogs (19-17, 8-7 West Division) took the three-game series from the Dons (9-30, 2-15 Coast Division) with wins sandwiched around Sautrday's setback.
Gonzaga jumped to the 2-0 first-inning lead when Eric Rodland led off the game with a triple to center field and two batters later Gold extended his single-season Gonzaga home run record with his 24th of the year. It was his 37th career home run as he chases the school record of 54 held by Jeff Hainline.
The visitors pushed the lead to 4-0 in the fifth. Rodland had a one-out double to left center, Gold was intentionally walked with two out and Culpepper followed with his bases-clearing triple to right center field.
The Dons got one run back in the sixth when Royce Fukuroku hit his fourth home run of the season and another in the eighth when Steve Booth connected for his 14th round tripper of the year.
Gonzaga got its final run in the ninth when Rodland completed a 3-for-5 day with his fifth home run of the season. Rodland fell a single short of hitting for the cycle. He flied out to right and grounded out to first in his other two plate appearances.
Starting pitcher and winner Brent Dayton (2-2) went five innings for the Bulldogs. Although touched for nine hits, he walked just two and struck out four. USF stranded eight of its nine runners for the game through the first five innings. Dayton got out of a two-out bases-loaded jam in the first when he got Fukuroku to pop to third. Eric Dworkis pitched four inning of one-hit ball in relief, didn't walk a batter and fanned two in collecting his second save of the season.
USF starter Peter Dunkle threw his first complete game of the season but suffered the loss in dropping his record to 1-6. Dunkle struck out a season-high 10 and walked just three.
The Bulldogs will host Whitworth College Tuesday at 3 p.m. in a non-conference game, then entertain Loyola Marymount University in a three-game WCC skirmish beginning Friday at 3 p.m.
