April 17, 2010

Box Score

SPOKANE, Wash. - A day after scoring 16 runs and recording 21 hits the Gonzaga University offense struggled to get things going against a tough starting pitcher in Pepperdine University's Cole Cook who led the Waves to a 11-2 victory in game two of the West Coast Conference series Saturday afternoon.

The Zags (13-21-1, 2-2-1 WCC) produced seven hits as Kevin Hawk finished with two RBI. The Waves improved to 12-18 overall and 2-2 in WCC after putting up four runs in each of first and fifth innings en route to picking up the win and evening the series at a game apiece.

Pepperdine picked up four runs in the first inning, using a couple softly hit singles, a double steal, Gonzaga error and a bloop double the dropped down just inside the right field line to gain the 4-0 lead.

After Gonzaga starting pitcher Andrew Danner posted scoreless innings in the second, third and fourth the Waves bats put another four runs on the board in the fifth inning. Pepperdine used six hits to bring the four more runs across and build their lead to 8-0.

The Bulldogs strung a couple hits together to bring their two runs across in the fifth and make it an 8-2 game. Hunter led off the frame with a base-hit through the left side and Cameron Edman followed with a double that hopped over the Pepperdine third baseman and went down the left field line to put runners on second and third with nobody out. Cook struck out Royce Bolinger but Hawk stepped in and lined a 0-1 pitch into centerfield to score Hunter and Edman.

The Waves would later tack on a run in the eighth and two more in the ninth to back Cook who attacked the strike zone early and often throughout the afternoon. Cook kept the Bulldogs off balance the rest of the afternoon, allowing just three singles over the final four innings to pick up the win.

Gonzaga and Pepperdine will wrap up their series 1 p.m. Sunday. ]