PHOENIX, Ariz.—Despite a pair of leadoff home runs, the Gonzaga University baseball team suffered a 5-2 setback to nationally-ranked Arizona State Saturday during the final game of ASU's Phoenix Muni Classic at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
Mitchell Gunsolus wasted no time giving the Zags a lead, sending the first pitch of the game over the fence in right center field for his first home run of the season. Gonzaga tagged ASU starter Ryan Kellogg for three more hits in the inning - all singles from Sam Brown, Caleb Wood, and Justin Jacobs - but the Sun Devils worked out of a bases loaded jam without allowing another run.
ASU also loaded the bases in the first inning. Gonzaga starter Andrew Sopko fanned the first two Sun Devils to bat in the frame, but the next three reached base. The junior pitcher then got Trever Allen to ground out to second base, escaping the jam.
The home team took the lead with back-to-back runs in the third and fourth innings, and the Sun Devils added two more in the fifth inning. With the bases loaded, RJ Ybarra grounded into a double play, but Johnny Sewald scored from third base on the play. In the next at bat, Dalton DiNatale doubled down the line in right field, plating Ryan Lillard.
The Sun Devils also scored in the bottom of the sixth inning, but Gonzaga countered with one of their own in the next half-inning. To lead off the Zags' part of the seventh, Tyler Frost sent the first pitch he saw out of the park and over the left field wall. The four-bagger was Frost's first career home run.
Two young Bulldogs pitched scoreless innings in relief as Gage Burland threw a perfect seventh inning, needing just six pitches to retire all three batters he faced. In the eighth inning, fellow freshman Eli Morgan took the hill and also faced just three batters. He gave up one hit to Allen, but Joey Harris caught the Sun Devil trying to steal second base to end the inning with the bases clear.
Gonzaga got the leadoff runner on base in both the eighth and ninth innings, but neither Gunsolus nor Jacobs could get past second base. Jacobs was left stranded on second in the ninth inning, and the Zags dropped their final game in Arizona 5-2.
Bulldog Bites
- Gunsolus' leadoff home run was the Zags' first homer to open the game since May 22, 2010. Drew Heid hit a homer to lead off the bottom of the first inning against Loyola Marymount that day, and the Zags went on to win the contest 5-3.
- GU's home runs put the team at five on the season through 12 games played. The last time the Bulldogs hit that many home runs through the first 12 games was 2010 when they hit 17 through the mark, including seven in one game March 10 at Texas Tech.
- Arizona State is Gonzaga' first ranked opponent of the year, and the Sun Devils are ranked in all widely-used national polls. Collegiate Baseball has the Sun Devils ranked at #9, D1baseball.com at #17, Baseball America #18, the Collegiate Baseball Writers #20, and the USA Today Coaches' Poll #21.
- With two more innings of shutout ball, the Gonzaga bullpen now has a 2.76 ERA on the year, allowing 10 earned runs and 13 total in 32.2 innings of work. The bullpens of GU opponents, meanwhile, have a 5.70 ERA as the Bulldog batters have tagged them for 23 earned runs in 36.1 innings of work.
- The Zags have now posted first-inning runs in six of 12 games. When accounting for when the opponent scores in the first inning as well, Gonzaga has seen just three of their 12 games enter the second inning with a 0-0 score.
- Today marks the Zags' first multi-game home run since April 2, 2014, when they smacked two out of the park against Oregon.
Season Tickets Now Available
The home opener is rapidly approaching (Friday, March 13th at 6:00 p.m.), and its 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 the 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 some missed opportunities in today's game
"We just haven't had the ability to play a complete game yet. Today could have been closer. We just need to put it all together and we'll be just fine."
On the offense and today's home runs
Our offense has been really good, and the home runs will come because of our plan. They're more of a luxury than a key component of the offense, but we certainly have the power to hit them."
Next Up
Gonzaga (5-7) will embark on the last trip of their 17-game road stretch to begin the season. They begin the five-game swing in the Central time zone with a three-game stint at Tulane. The series with the Green Wave will begin on Friday, March 6 with a 4:30 p.m. PT first pitch (6:30 p.m. CT).
