April 7, 2009
Box Score
SPOKANE, Wash. - Gonzaga University dropped a 14-7 non-conference matchup with the University of Washington at the Patterson Baseball Complex and Washington Trust Field in Tuesday afternoon.
Senior third baseman Jason Chatwood led the Bulldogs (21-9) with a 3-for-5 performance. Four Bulldogs finished with two or more hits while junior catcher Tyson Van Winkle and freshman shortstop Ernesto Ortiz each finished with two RBI. The Huskies (11-19) used 13 hits and four Gonzaga errors to take the final meeting of the season with the Zags.
Washington was the first to get on the board on a third inning pop-fly double down the right field line that allowed one run to score. The Zags answered in the bottom half of the third as Chatwood led off the inning with a line drive single back up the middle. Freshman designated hitter Royce Bolinger was then hit by the pitch to put runners on first and second. Ortiz followed with a sacrifice bunt to move both runners up a base. Senior second baseman Evan Wells was able to pick up an RBI as UW starting pitcher Tyler was unable to corral his softly hit comebacker, allowing Chatwood to score for Gonzaga's first run of the ball game. Junior centerfielder Drew Heid then gave the Zags a 2-1 lead with a drag bunt single over the pitcher's head that scored Bolinger.
The Huskies were able to regain the lead with four runs in the top of the fourth inning. The big blow in the inning came on Doug Cherry's three-run home run over the left centerfield fence.
GU didn't back down as Wiegand led off the Gonzaga fourth inning with a sharply hit single to center field. Junior leftfielder Mark Castellito followed with a walk and Chatwood singled to right center to load the bases. After Bolinger popped out for the innings' second out, Ortiz stepped to plate and lined the first pitch he saw to left field, scoring Wiegand and Castellitto cut the Huskies lead to 5-4.
UW scored three unearned runs on just one hit but benefitted from one Gonzaga wild pitch and two errors in the fifth inning to build their lead to 8-4.
The Bulldogs didn't go away as they added a run in their bottom half of the fifth and came right back with two more runs in the sixth. Van Winkle's two-run double to deep centerfield in the sixth cut the Huskies lead to one, 8-7. In the inning, Ortiz was hit by the pitch and Wells then reached on an infield single before Van Winkle hit his team-leading 14th double of the season.
In the seventh inning, Washington put the game out of reach with five runs in the inning. Again a Bulldog error opened the door for the Huskies who took full advantage of the fourth GU miscue of the afternoon. Two runs came across on a dropped fly ball and three more runs scored on Jake Rife's home run that followed the two-out error. The Huskies added another run in the eighth to build its lead to 14-7.
Gonzaga freshman starting pitcher Tyler Olson (1-1) took the loss after allowing four earned runs with five strikeouts in 3.2 innings. Geoff Brown (2-3) earned the win for Washington.
The Zags resume West Coast Conference play with a three-game home series against #21 University of San Diego beginning 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Patterson Baseball Complex and Washington Trust Field.
