Gonzaga University
Portland
Pilots Take Series With 12-2 Win Over Baseball
4/7/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 7, 2002
SPOKANE, Wash. - Portland (13-16, 7-5 WCC) won its first series over Gonzaga (17-16, 6-6 WCC) since the 1999 season as the Pilots won Sunday's rubber match 12-2 at August/A.R.T. Stadium. Portland would the first and third games of the series with Gonzaga winning the middle game.
Gonzaga appeared it to be in the process of repeating Saturday's 20-hit performance as Eric Rodland opened the game with a double down the right field line. That would be the only hit Portland starter Zach Yarbrough (3-3) would allow out of the infield as he shut down the Bulldogs for 5.2 innings. Yarbrough would be removed in the sixth after allowing an infield hit and hitting the next batter. He would finish with seven strike outs.
Portland provided Yarbrough all the offense he would need in the second inning as Matt Allen hit the first of his two home runs on the day to lead off the inning. An infield error that would have ended the inning and balk by Gonzaga starter Eric Dworkis placed runners on second and third until Cory Lunde drove a double into the right center gap to stake the Pilots to a 3-0 lead.
Dworkis (4-4) would work into the fourth and was lifted after Matt Hollod and Joe Watson led off with back-to-back hits. Brock Griffin would sacrifice bunt with runners on first and third to score Hollod from third and Trevor Hahn's RBI single through the right side would give Portland a 5-0 lead. A hit batter with bases loaded and sacrifice fly by Hahn would account for Portland's runs in the sixth while Griffin connected for a three-run home run in the seventh.
Gonzaga would score its only runs of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning as Kevin Richardson singled with runners on second and third. Pilots closer Eric Hull was able to work out of the inning and worked the next three innings to pick up his sixth save of the season.
Watson and Griffin each finished with three of Portland's 16 hits while Griffin and Lunde each drove home four runs. Brian Munhall led Gonzaga with two hits while Nate Gold went hitless to snap his 15-game hitting streak. Gonzaga returns to action on Tuesday night with a single game at Lewis-Clark State prior to traveling to San Francisco for a weekend West Coast Conference series.
