Feb. 27, 2004

Box Score

IRVINE, Calif. - The Gonzaga University baseball team dropped its fifth straight contest of the season on Friday night as the UC Irvine Anteaters (7-2-1) scored six late runs against the Bulldogs bullpen to post a 9-7 come-from-behind win over Gonzaga at Anteater Ballpark. For Gonzaga (2-6) the loss was also the fifth straight against a ranked opponent as UC Irvine entered the night ranked 30th in the nation.

Starter Matt Reding worked 5.1 solid innings for the Bulldogs as Gonzaga built an early 6-0 lead against UC Irvine starter Brett Smith. Gonzaga scored single runs in the first and third innings before junior second baseman Mike Rundle cleared the bases in the fifth with a three-run double. The Bulldogs were able to put together the rally taking advantage of one of three UC Irvine errors on the night. Kiel Thibault, Marshall Bratton and Brad Welker all contributed to the Gonzaga scoring with each player driving home a run. Bratton would add an RBI later in the game as the Bulldogs scored in the eight to take a 7-6 lead.

Reding would work into the sixth inning before Nate Williams was able to help Reding escape with a 6-3 lead intact. The Anteaters tied the game at 6-6 in the bottom of the seventh with a three-run outburst against reliever Bobby McEwen. One of the runs was unearned as the Bulldogs also committed three errors in the game. Matt Anderson helped drive the UCI offense with a team-high two RBI.

UC Irvine would fall behind in the top of the eighth before putting the game away in the bottom of the frame with three runs against Eric Everson (1-1). Everson walked three batters in the inning lasting only a third of the inning. UCI reliever Steve Schroer (3-1) picked up the win with 1.1 perfect innings.

Jeff Culpepper, Thibault and Bratton all finished with two hits for Gonzaga while Anderson went 3-for-4 to lead UC Irvine. The two schools will resume their three-game series on Saturday afternoon with a 1 p.m. start at Anteater Ballpark.