Gonzaga University
UC Davis
Zags Split Series with Loss at UC Davis
2/23/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Box Score
DAVIS, Calif.—The bats of Gonzaga University's baseball squad stayed warm in Sunday's series finale at UC Davis, but the Zags couldn't overcome a big first inning by the Aggies, falling 10-5 to the hosts at Dobbins Baseball Complex in Davis, Calif.
Gonzaga struck first, scoring two runs in the top of the first inning. Third baseman Mitchell Gunsolus led the game off with a single to centerfield, and Dustin Breshears followed up with a base hit to right. Sam Brown laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance both runners 90 feet, and cleanup hitter Jimmy Sinatro ripped a double down the left field line to bring home both runners.
The Aggies responded quickly, scoring five runs on five hits in their half of the first, chasing GU starter Sean-Luke Brija after one-third of an inning. Both Tanner Bily and Nick Lynch had RBIs in the frame as well, but Aggies catcher Izaak Silva had the big hit, a double to right center that plated three runs. After Silva's knock, Eli Morgan took over in relief, retiring two of the next three batters to end the inning.
UC Davis added one more run in the second frame despite two strikeouts from Morgan. The leadoff batter, Tino Lipson, reached base and took second on a throwing from Gunsolus that ended up in the stands. Two batters later, Lipson stole third and advanced home on an errant throw from GU catcher Troy LaBrie.
The Bulldogs came within three in the fourth inning. Center fielder Tyler Frost hit a leadoff double to left center field and advanced to second on a single from Gunsolus. Breshears then picked up his third RBI of the year by reaching first with a fielder's choice to short.
UC Davis scored two more in both the sixth and seventh innings, pushing the score to 10-3 in favor of the home team. In the top of the ninth, Gonzaga scored two more in an attempted comeback. Frost led off the frame by reaching first on an error by the UC Davis third baseman and moved to second base on a groundout from pinch hitter Jeff Bohling. The freshman scored a batter later when Gunsolus tallied his third hit of the game. Gunsolus scored the Zags' last run of the game on a single from Brown to put the score at 10-5, but UC Davis retired the final two batters to end the game.
With the loss, Gonzaga split the series at UC Davis two games to two. Both of Gonzaga's wins came during a doubleheader with the Aggies Feb. 21 while UC Davis took the series opener Feb. 20.
Bulldog Bites
- The Bulldogs have posted 13 or more hits in each of the last three games, collecting 18 in game one Feb. 21 and 13 in game two. Those three games are the highest hit totals of the year for Gonzaga, and those 44 combined hits in three games is the highest in a three-game stretch since May 24-26, 2012 (48 hits in a three-game series at BYU).
- The Gonzaga bullpen threw 13.2 innings in four games this weekend, combining for a 3.29 ERA and 11 strikeouts. Morgan's 5.1 innings pitched and five strikeouts today make up a majority of those categories, and Gage Burland made two separate appearances on the mound in relief, including one today. UC Davis' bullpen also threw 13.2 innings over the four games, but the Aggie relievers combined for a 5.93 ERA, allowing 12 runs.
- Morgan's 5.1 innings pitched and five strikeouts are both season-highs for any Gonzaga reliever. The last time a GU reliever threw more than 5.1 innings was May 23, 2014, when Kenny Smith went 7.1 innings against Loyola Marymount in the WCC tournament. The last bullpen member to fan five or more batters was David Bigelow, who struck out five Broncos April 11, 2014 at Santa Clara.
- Sinatro started all four games at DH for Gonzaga, making his season debut during the series opener Feb. 20. After going 4x15, he is second on the squad with a .400 batting average, and his four RBIs are already third on the team. The junior went 2x4 today with a double and 2 RBIs before being lifted for Branson Trube, who entered the game in the eighth inning as a defensive replacement in center field.
- With a pair of hits today, Breshears remains the only Zag to have a hit in all eight games of the season. Wood is currently riding a seven-game hit streak, hitting safely in team games 2-7. While Gunsolus went hitless in the series opener at UC Davis Feb. 20, he still reached base during that contest and has reached base in every game of the season.
Season Tickets
The home opener is rapidly approaching (Friday, March 13th at 6:00 p.m.), and it's time to start ordering season tickets! For just $50, you can guarantee yourself a seat at every home baseball game, or for $100 you may purchase a Family Pass, which allows up to two adults and four children to attend every game. To order tickets and for more information, please visit gozags.com/tickets, call 509.313.6000, or stop by the Gonzaga Ticket Office inside the McCarthey Athletic Center Monday through Friday between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
Mac Talk - thoughts from Gonzaga head coach Mark Machtolf
On the offense this weekend -
"Offensively we found our groove and hit a lot of balls hard all weekend. Today we had a lot of hits, but not a lot to show for it."
On the weekend overall -
"It's disappointing know we could have won a series on the road rather than splitting it, but we're excited to get back out there. We grew a lot as a team here, both physically and mentally."
On Brija's day on the mound -
"Sean-Luke just left too many balls over the middle of the plate today. His offspeed stuff was not very effective."
Up Next
Gonzaga (4-4) will continue its month-long road trip to open 2015 with four games at the Phoenix Muni Classic in Phoenix, Ariz., next weekend. The first game of the tournament will begin on Thursday, Feb. 26 at 12:00 p.m. Pacific time (1:00 p.m. local) as the Zags will take on Purdue.
