May 10, 2003
Box Score
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Sam Hess hit his first home run of the season, a grand slam, as Gonzaga University scored five runs in the top of the ninth inning Saturday to break a 5-5 tie and propel the Bulldogs to a 10-5 win over Santa Clara University in the opening game of a three-game West Coast Conference series at Buck Shaw Stadium.
The Bulldogs, with a chance to play the role of the spoiler the final two weekends of the WCC season, did just that on Saturday. The loss dropped the Broncos' record to 27-25 overall and 17-8 in West Coast Conference play while the Zags improved to 23-23-1 overall, 11-14 in league action. The loss was especially painful for SCU as the Broncos fell 3 1/2 games behind division-leading Pepperdine University after the Waves took the first two games of a three-game series against Saint Mary's College in Moraga, Calif. The Waves hold the big advantage with only four games remaining on their schedule while Santa Clara still has five games to go. Gonzaga, however, will host Pepperdine next weekend to wrap up WCC action and could still have a say in the outcome if the Waves don't wrap up the divisional crown this weekend with the help of the Bulldogs.
The decisive ninth began when Eric Rodland greeted SCU reliever Patrick Overholt with a double to right center field. Brad Welker was hit by a pitcher and Gordon Corder, whose leadoff 13th home run of the season in the top of the third gave the Bulldogs a 4-2 lead, singled to center to load the bases. Overholt's woes continued when he walked David Johnson to score Rodland and Hess followed with his grand slam to chase Overholt.
John Gonzalez, who came on in relief of starter Ed Clelland following a two-out triple in the eighth, picked up the win to run his record to 2-3. Clelland allowed five runs, all earned, and fanned four in his 7.2 innings of work.
The Bulldogs jumped to a quick 3-0 lead in the first inning. Rodland lead off with a walk, Welker sacrificed him to second and Corder doubled down the right field line to score Rodland. A Johnson single advanced Corder to third, Johnson stole second and Hess singled to left field to score Corder. Jeff Culpepper's sacrifice fly to left plated Johnson with the third run.
The Broncos didn't waste any time getting back into the contest, pushing across two runs in the bottom of the first. One run scored when shortstop Danny Evans couldn't handle the relay throw following Jack Headley's double, and Jason Matteucci followed with a RBI infield single.
Gonzaga increased the lead to 5-2 in the third. After Corder's leadoff blast, Johnson walked, went to third on a Hess single and scored on a second-to-short-to-first double play.
SCU scored three times in the seventh to tie the game, RBI doubles from freshmen Michael Lange and Matteucci doing the major damage.
The Broncos began a brief rally in the bottom of the ninth as the first two batters each singled, Gonzalez got Matteucci to hit into a second-to-short-first double play and got Jim Wallace on a strikeout to end the contest
Hess' grand slam was one of four hits for him, while Corder went 3-for-5 with two RBI and three runs scored.
Santa Clara and Gonzaga return to action for game two of the three-game series Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. Monday's series finale is scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. first pitch from Buck Shaw Stadium. The rare Saturday-Monday series is because the Bulldogs finished final exams on Thursday.
