Gonzaga University
Pacific
Bulldogs Offense Stalled By Pacific Ace, Fall 6-1
3/11/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 11, 2010
SAN ANTONIO, Tex. - After recording 16 hits in two of its last three games, the Gonzaga University offense struggled to get it going Thursday dropping a 6-1 decision to University of The Pacific in the opening game of the Irish Baseball Classic.
Coming off a 16-hit and eight home run performance in Wednesday's 13-9 win over Texas Tech University, the Bulldogs (5-6) ran into a tough starting pitcher in Pacific's Marcus Pointer who owns a 4-0 record and 1.91 ERA held Gonzaga to one earned run one three hits in a complete-game effort. The Bulldogs ace Cody Martin (1-1) added to his West Coast Conference leading strikeout total with four, giving him 35 in 25.2 innings this season. Martin went six innings but allowed five earned runs to suffer his first loss in four starts this season.
Pacific (8-4) picked up a run in the first inning on a two-out RBI single but the Zags evened things up in the third inning on a Sean Wilson RBI single. Cameron Edman was hit by a pitch to start the inning and later moved up to second on Steven Halcomb's ground out. One batter later Wilson lined a single back up the middle to score Edman from second and make it a 1-1 game.
Martin pitched well in the next couple innings and nearly escaped a fourth inning jam without allowing a run but the Tigers used another two-out base-hit to pick up a run and took a 2-1 lead. Pacific then added a two-run homer in the fifth and a solo home run in the sixth before capping the day's scoring with one more insurance run in the eighth to make it a 6-1 game. Pointer held the Bulldogs in check the rest of the way, not allowing the baserunner in the final three innings to preserve the win for Pacific.
Wilson, Edman and Mark Castellitto each picked up hits for the Zags. Dating back to last season, Drew Heid had recorded hits in 18 consecutive games but that streak came to an end after the WCC's leading hitter went 0-for-3 today.
The Bulldogs continue play in San Antonio with a 10 a.m. (PST) matchup against Bradley University tomorrow.
