Gonzaga University
#20 Washington State
Bulldogs Drop Pitcher's Duel With #20 WSU
5/25/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 25, 2010
SPOKANE, Wash. - Gonzaga University had its five-game winning streak come to an end as No. 20 Washington State scored a pair of runs in the seventh to hand the Zags a 2-0 defeat at the Patterson Baseball Complex and Washington Trust Field Tuesday evening.
The Bulldogs (20-33) received an outstanding effort from starting pitcher Liam Baron who struck out six in 7.2 innings, allowing just the two runs to the Cougars (32-18) who also received a soling effort on the mound from their starting pitcher Paris Shewey, who fired seven scoreless innings to earn the victory.
Mark Castellitto led the Zags with a pair of hits while Drew Heid moved a hit closer to the school's single-season hit record, now needing just two hits to tie tying Larry Patterson's 1977 record of 91.
Both offenses were held in check for the first six innings, managing just three hits a piece until the Cougars snuck a pair of line drives just inside the first bag and down the right field line for a pair of base hits in the seventh. Derek Jones took a 2-2 pitch the other way, doubling just past a diving Royce Bolinger at first base before the next batter Shea Vucinich did the exact thing except his hit got down into the right field corner, allowing him to scamper around to third while driving in Jones. The Cougars then used a sacrifice fly to score Vucinich to take the 2-0 lead.
Gonzaga had a couple scoring chances throughout the evening but were unable to bring anything across. Castellitto was three feet from giving the Zags a 1-0 lead in the fourth, hammering the first pitch he saw off the left field fence for a double to start the frame. Shewey worked around the lead off hit to keep the Bulldogs off the board, notching a pair of strikeouts and fly out to escape the inning.
The Zags had another rally turned away in the eighth as Heid got things going with a one-out single through the right side. Pinch-hitter Andy Hunter then walked to put runners on first and second with one out but reliever Conner Lambert got Castellitto to ground into an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play. Lambert then came back out to record a scoreless ninth and preserve the 2-0 WSU win.
Heid's hit extended his hitting streak to ten for the Zags who were shut out for the first time since dropping a 4-0 decision to UC Riverside at the Palm Springs Classic Mar, 6 2009.
Gonzaga closes out the season this weekend, hosting the University of Portland for a three-game West Coast Conference series beginning 6:30 p.m. Friday.
