SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The Gonzaga University tried to rally from a three-run deficit in the ninth inning but came up short as the 19th-ranked University of San Diego beat the Bulldogs 5-3 to win the West Coast Conference series Saturday afternoon.
Billy Moon (3-2) went seven innings in his outing and allowed all five runs, four earned. He struck out five batters and surrendered nine hits. Zach Abbruzza finished the game allowing one hit and striking out one.
Payden Cawley Lamb and Brock Slavin both drove in a run and each recorded two of the Bulldogs (20-9, 3-3 WCC) six hits.
Despite drawing a walk, Royce Bolinger's hitting streak came to an end at 15 games after going hitless in his three at-bats.
Torero starting pitcher Dylan Covey (4-2) allowed two runs in eight innings of work while Michael Wagner got the save despite allowing a run in the ninth inning.
Eric Lane was hit by the pitch to start the game and after he stole second base, Clayton Eslick hit a two-out RBI single to right field to bring in the first run of the game. Eslick would advance to third on Andy Hunter's single to left field and Cawley Lamb brought in the second run with a base hit to center field.
The Toreros (25-8, 7-2 WCC) answered back in the bottom of the second inning, using two doubles and a single to tie the game 2-2.
In the bottom half of the eighth innings, the leadoff hitter reached safely on an error and following a base hit, a two-run triple broke the tie and the Toreros took a 4-2 lead. Abbruzza came into the game after the triple to stop the damage and although he allowed a RBI single, he retired the side on a strikeout, a groundout and a foul out.
The Bulldogs got a rally started in the ninth inning when Cawley Lamb hit a one-out single up the middle followed by Halcomb winning a free pass to first base. Slavin would hit a RBI single to center field to cut the Toreros lead to two, but the Toreros escaped the threat by striking out Maxx Garrett and Lane to end the game.
The Bulldogs will head to Seattle to start a two-game dogfight with the University of Washington. The series starts Monday at 5 p.m. followed by a 1 p.m. start Tuesday.
