Gonzaga University
Saint Mary's
SMC Avoids Sweep With Sunday Win
5/15/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 15, 2005
MORAGA, Calif. - The Saint Mary's Gaels baseball team rallied to score three runs in the eighth inning to defeat Gonzaga University, 9-8, in a West Coast Conference game Sunday afternoon at Louis Guisto Field.
With the loss the Bulldogs magic number is now two. GU must win two of their final four WCC games against second place Loyola Marymount University next weekend in Los Angeles, Calif. to win the WCC Coast Division crown. While Gonzaga and LMU will battle for the Coast Division, Pepperdine University and the University of San Francisco will also be playing each other for the WCC West Division title in a three-game series at Pepperdine next weekend. Should GU win the Coast Division crown, they will host the winner of the West Division in the WCC Championship series May 27-29 at Avista Stadium.
After each team scored one run in the second inning the Bulldogs (28-21, 15-11 WCC) then took a four-run lead in the third inning. Darin Holcomb got things started for the Zags with a walk and moved to third on senior Jeff Culpepper's double to left field. After the Gaels (19-29, 12-18 WCC) intentionally walked Kiel Thibault to load the bases Jackson Brennan walked in the first run of the inning. Bobby Carlson then hit a bases clearing double to right field to cap the scoring for the inning.
After the Gaels narrowed the scoring gap to one-run in the fifth inning, the Bulldogs put up three more runs in the sixth inning. Aaron McGuinness led off with a single and moved to second on Shawn Wayt's walk. Scott Campbell then hit an RBI single to right field bringing McGuinness home for the first run. Holcomb hit into a double play which brought Wayt home for the second run. Culpepper then hit a double to right field and came home on Thibault's single to center field.
The Gaels took back two runs in the sixth inning leaving the Zags with a two-run lead. The Gaels rallied to score three runs in the eighth inning to complete the come-from-behind win and avoid the three-game sweep. SMC scored their runs on back-to-back run scoring doubles by Delaney Gallagher and Ada Bellows.
Thibault led the Bulldogs offense with his 3-for-3 one RBI and two runs scored performance.
Dan Lewis (4-0) picked up the win for the Gaels allowing no runs on one hit in three innings of work. Jay Bryner (3-4) was saddled with the loss for the Bulldogs as he allowed four runs on four hits in 2.1 innings of work.
The Bulldogs will return to action on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. as they head to Lewiston, Idaho for a non-conference game with Lewis-Clark State College.
