Gonzaga University
Washington
Baseball Falls Short In Sweep Attempt
2/23/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 23, 2003
SEATTLE - It took until the third game of the series but the Washington Husky pitching staff finally solved the Gonzaga Bulldogs offensive as the Huskies (4-5) avoided a sweep with a 7-3 victory over Gonzaga (2-5) at Husky Ballpark. The Bulldogs were held to just seven hits on Sunday afternoon after pounding out 17 and 15 hits during Friday and Saturday victories over Washington.
Washington starter Jeff Petersen kept the Bulldogs at bay allowing only five hits through 4.2 innings before Trent Baysinger and Will Fenton would finish out the game for Washington. Baysinger allowed only two hits during 3.1 innings of relief to improve to 1-0 on the season. Fenton pitched a perfect ninth to collect his second save.
The Bulldogs appeared poised to repeat the efforts of the previous two days as Eric Rodland singled up the middle to open the game. Rodland would come around to score on a Gordon Corder sacrifice fly. Freshman shortstop Nick Froman led off the third inning with a double to right center and scored on a David Johnson ground out to put Gonzaga up 2-0.
Washington would respond with two runs of their own in the bottom of the third against GU starter Sean Lichter. Kyle Larsen doubled with one out and scored on a Mike Wagner home run to left. Lichter would work through the third inning as he completed just his second start since returning from Tommy John surgery.
Gonzaga regained the lead in the fifth inning as Rodland collected his second hit of the game. Rodland would later score on Corder's second RBI of the contest, a single to center. The Bulldogs bullpen was not able to make that lead stand up as Washington scored two runs in the bottom of the frame against freshman Patrick Donovan (0-1). John Otness would drive home the tying run on a sacrifice fly while Taylor Johnson scored on a Donovan wild pitch to account for Washington's fourth run.
 Gordon Corder drove home 2 of Gonzaga's 3 runs on Sunday.  | |
The Huskies would take advantage of three more Gonzaga pitching miscues to tack on one insurance run in the sixth and two more in the seventh. Two of the UW runs scored on wild pitches while the third crossed the plate on a balk.
Rodland and Kemp Quackenbush each finished with two hits to lead Gonzaga while Corder drove home two runs to finish the weekend with seven RBI. Johnson's one RBI in the third pushed his weekend total to nine. Washington was led by Tila Reynolds and Wagner each with three hits, Wagner driving in three of the Huskies seven runs.
Gonzaga returns to action on Friday afternoon when they compete in the five team Banana Belt Classic in Lewiston, Idaho. Gonzaga will play host Lewis-Clark State at 4 p.m. on Friday before facing Portland and Brigham Young on Saturday. The Bulldogs round out the tournament with a Sunday morning game against Washington State.
