Gonzaga University
Portland
Monroe Pitches Gonzaga To Victory
4/16/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 16, 2005
PORTLAND, Ore. - Josh Monroe pitched out of an eighth-inning jam to strand the tying run on third, and the junior from Woodinville, Wash., won a pitching duel with Given Kutz as Gonzaga University defeated the University of Portland 3-1 in a West Coast Conference baseball game on Saturday.
The game was the first of the rain-delayed three-game series that saw Friday's scheduled opener postponed. Saturday's start was also pushed back an hour as inclement weather continued in Portland. The teams will complete the series Sunday with a noon double-header.
Monroe scattered eight hits, walked two and fanned three in raising his record to 6-2 and lowering his earned run averaged to 1.93. Portland had at least one base runner in every inning except the fifth and ninth, but the Pilots stranded eight runners as Monroe never relinquished the damaging hit after the first-inning home run.
Kutz, meanwhile, went eight-plus innings, allowing seven hits, striking out five and not walking a batter while allowing the three earned runs.
Portland got on the scoreboard quickly, third baseman Jason Krohn sending Monroe's fourth pitch of the game over the left-centerfield fence for a one-out home run, his fourth of the season.
Kutz retired the first 10 Bulldogs he faced, Darin Holcomb breaking up the perfect game with a one-out single to center in the fourth. Holcomb advanced to second on a fielder's choice and scored on Kiel Thibault's double to left. Thibault advanced to third on an error by the shortstop on the relay, but was stranded when Bobby Carlson flied out to right field.
Gonzaga took the lead in the seventh. Thibault started the inning with a single to left, stole second and scored on Aaron McGuinness' one-out single to center.
The Bulldogs added some insurance in the ninth. Thibault opened the inning with his second double of the game, this one to center. Carlson's bunt single down the third base line moved Thibault to third and brought on centerfielder Justin Ehlers to relieve Kutz. Ehlers got Will Ayala to fly to right, and Portland coach Chris Sperry went to the bullpen again, bringing in Josh Roberts. McGuinness dropped a sacrifice bunt down the third base line to score Thibault and give McGuinness his second RBI of the day.
Thibault finished 3-for-4 with the RBI for the Bulldogs, and Portland's Ehlers went 2-for-4 as the only two players to have multi-hit games.
