PULLMAN, Wash. - The Gonzaga University baseball team dropped a pitcher's duel Tuesday night as Washington State University used a RBI single in the 10th to beat the Bulldogs 1-0 to avoid the thee-game season series sweep.
Starter Zach Abbruzza received a no-decision after throwing seven shutout innings. He allowed only four hits and walks each. Starter Kenny Smith (2-2) suffered the loss after throwing 2 2/3 innings of relief.
The Zags had an opportunity to put a run on the board in the fourth. Marco Gonzales led off with a walk and advanced to second on Steven Halcomb's sacrifice bunt. Royce Bolinger was intentionally walked but was forced out at second on a grounder hit by Clayton Eslick. Andy Hunter loaded the bases after he was hit by the pitch, but the Cougars got out of the threat when Alex Stanford flew out to center field to end the inning.
In the home half of the fifth, left fielder Jason Monda hit a two-out single up the middle and tried to score from first when Tommy Richards hit a double to the left field wall, but Moon's relay to the shortstop Halcomb to the catcher Maxx Garrett was in time for the third out.
After Halcomb flew out to left field to start the sixth, Bolinger followed with a double down the left field line. He advanced to third after Eslick grounded out to first but was stranded when Hunter struck out swinging.
Abbruzza ran into trouble in the seventh inning when he loaded the bases on a base hit, an error by Stanford and an intentional walk with one out, but he escaped the jam when a ground ball to him set up a double play from home to first to end the inning.
The Bulldogs had another opportunity to bring a run across when three base hits by Hunter, Garrett and Moon loaded the bases, but pinch hitter Payden Cawley Lamb hit into a fielder's choice to end the inning.
The Cougars broke through in the 10th when Richards led off with a single and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt and groundout to third. With two out, Collin Slaybaugh sent a pitch to left center out of Billy Moon's reach to bring across the only run in the game.
The Bulldogs will close the regular-season at West Coast Conference newcomer BYU for a three-game series. The series begins Thursday at 5 p.m. PDT.
