April 18, 2010
Box Score
SPOKANE, Wash. - Gonzaga University dropped the rubber game of its West Coast Conference series with Pepperdine University 10-5 at the Patterson Baseball Complex and Washington Trust Field Sunday afternoon.
Gonzaga (13-22-1, 2-3-1 WCC) received home runs from Royce Bolinger and Steven Halcomb but Pepperdine (13-18, 3-2 WCC) pushed nine runs across in the middle innings to post the series-clinching win. Bolinger, Halcomb and Mark Castellitto each finished with two hits.
The Zags used the long ball to build a 3-0 lead after three complete innings as Bolinger drove a 2-1 pitch over the left centerfield fence for a solo homer with one out in the second inning. In the third, Kevin Hawk led off the frame with a base-hit to right field and one batter later Halcomb launched a two-run shot to left field for his first career home run.
Pepperdine eventually got to the Bulldogs starting pitcher Liam Baron in the fourth inning for two runs. The Waves opened the inning with a single then picked up their first run on a triple before another single brought home the second run of the inning, cutting the Zags lead to 3-2. The Waves bats came alive in the next two innings, adding four runs on five hits in the fifth and using four hits to add three more runs in the sixth to take a 9-3 lead.
Gonzaga came back with two runs in their half of the sixth but missed out on more after loading the bases with nobody out. Halcomb walked to open the inning and Castellitto lined a single past a ducking Pepperdine starting pitcher Robert Dickman into centerfield for a single to put two runners on. Dickman then walked Hunter to load the bases but held strong, striking out Cameron Edman and Bolinger. With two outs and the bases still full, Clayton Eslick stepped in pulled a 2-0 pitch into right field to score Halcomb and Castellitto to make it a 9-5 game.
That would be as close as the Zags would get though as Dickman worked out of jam in the seventh to strand to two Bulldog bases runners before Waves added another run in the eighth. Pepperdine reliever Kevin Inman posted scoreless eighth and ninth innings to preserve the 10-5 victory and clinch the series for the Waves.
The Bulldogs welcome Pacific-10 Conference opponent University of Oregon to Spokane for non-conference matchups 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and 1 p.m. Wednesday.
