Gonzaga University
Saint Mary's
Offense Backs Stumetz Strong Start, Zags Take Series From SMC
5/16/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 16, 2010
MORAGA, Calif. - For the second consecutive day the Gonzaga University offense produced in the early innings, scoring all ten of its runs in the first four innings to post a series-clinching 10-5 win over Saint Mary's College in the rubber match of the West Coast Conference weekend series Sunday afternoon.
Mark Castellitto and Billy Moon paced the Zags attack as each drove in three runs with Moon picking up all three of his RBI on his first career home run. Cameron Edman finished with three hits and Castellitto added two hits for Gonzaga (17-32, 5-10 WCC) who took the final two games of the series against the Gaels (16-28-1, 7-10 WCC). The Bulldogs finished with ten hits to back a solid pitching performance by senior starter Jeremy Stumetz who picked up the win in his first appearance in nearly a month.
Gonzaga opened the game with a three-run first inning on Moon's three-run blast. Drew Heid led off with a single down the right field line and Steven Halcomb followed with a walk. SMC starter Martin Agosta nearly escaped the jam with a zero on the board by retiring Castellitto and Clayton Eslick but Moon stepped in and pulled a 2-2 pitch over the right field fence to put the Zags up 3-0.
The Bulldogs produced another three-spot on the scoreboard in the third inning as Castellitto picked up an RBI-single, Eslick doubled home Castellitto and Sturdivant scored Eslick by beating out a two-out infield single to push the lead to 6-1.
Saint Mary's posted single runs off of Stumetz in the second and third frame but the senior right-hander limited the damage and made the Zags runs stand up. The Bulldogs followed their three-run third with a four-run fourth inning to open up a 10-2 advantage. Edman opened the frame with single, Ernesto Ortiz then earned a walk before Halcomb drove home the inning's first run with a RBI base-hit to left center. Castellitto followed with two-run double to centerfield and he later come across on an Eslick sacrifice fly to cap the inning's scoring.
Stumetz continued to pitch well with the big lead, retiring the Gaels in order in the fourth and sixth innings, allowing just a pair of runs in the fifth before giving way to Andrew Danner with two on and two out in the seventh. Danner turned away the SMC threat by getting the first batter he faced to ground out to Eslick at second to end the inning. The junior lefthander then fired a scoreless eighth and worked around a ninth-inning run to preserve the 10-5 Gonzaga victory.
Stumetz improved to 3-3 after striking out four and scattering ten hits in 6.2 innings. Danner struck out three in 2.1 innings of relief while Eslick extended his hitting streak to a career-best nine.
Gonzaga returns to Spokane to play its final eight games of the season at the Patterson Baseball Complex and Washington Trust Field beginning Tuesday with a 6:30 p.m. matchup against Washington State University.
