Back-To-Back WCC Championship Bids For Baseball
5/19/2014 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
SPOKANE, Wash. - The Gonzaga University baseball team is turning Banner Island Ballpark into a home away from home. The Bulldogs, after all, are the lone team from last year's inaugural West Coast Conference Championship Tournament returning to the site for the 2014 edition.
The Bulldogs (25-27, 17-10 WCC) earned their postseason spot by defeating the 23rd-ranked Pepperdine University Waves on the final game of the season Sunday. The Zags refused to give in and battled from a 5-0 deficit to eventually score a season-high 13 runs in the 13-10 victory.
Cabe Reiten had a career-best four RBI in the game including two bases loaded doubles. Sam Brown and Cory LeBrun combined for seven runs scored while having two hits each. Mitchell Gunsolus and Nick Brooks also had multiple RBI performances as well.
In addition to the Zags, Pepperdine, Loyola Marymount University and Santa Clara University make up the four teams vying for the WCC championship. Gonzaga, the third seed, will take on No. 2 LMU in the opening round. Regular-season champion Pepperdine is the top seed and will face No. 4 Santa Clara.
The championship game is on May 24 and will be televised on ESPNU at 7 p.m. while each of the other games can be viewed on theW.tv.
The WCC championship format consists of a double elimination bracket with no "if necessary" Championship game. The tournament winner gets an automatic bid into the NCAA Baseball Championships.
Gonzaga and Loyola Marymount will play Thursday night with a 7 p.m. scheduled first pitch.
