Box Score | Highlights
SPOKANE, Wash.—The Gonzaga University baseball squad saw a tough end to its three-game home series against BYU Saturday, falling to the Cougars 13-4 at Patterson Baseball Complex & Washington Trust Field in Spokane, Wash.
The Cougars got to Gonzaga starting pitcher Andrew Sopko early, making the junior throw over 30 pitches in the first frame. He only allowed just one run in the first, but BYU scored got three off the Bulldog starter in the second inning, collecting five hits in the frame.
Gonzaga got its first run in the fourth inning after Justin Jacobs blasted a leadoff double on the first pitch he saw. The right fielder moved up 90 feet after a single from Taylor Jones, and he came home on an RBI single from freshman Tyler Frost.
BYU added runs in the sixth and seventh innings to take an 11-1 lead. Cole Wilstead hit a two-run home run in the sixth and Derrick Whitney scored later on in the frame after reaching base on a double to right center. In the seventh inning, Gage Burland came in to replace Sopko. The freshman righthander struck out the first Cougar batter he faced, but the next four batters reached base in some way. Fellow freshman Eli Morgan came in to replace Burland and he got out of the inning, but not before the four runners assigned to Burland came around to score.
The Zags got three back in the eighth inning. Nick Nyquist drew a leadoff walk and came around to score on a sacrifice fly from Dustin Breshears, while Jimmy Sinatro posted an RBI single to left center to plate Caleb Wood. Finally, Mitchell Gunsolus also collected an RBI in the frame, singling to center field and bringing home Branson Trube. BYU responded with two more in the top of the ninth to bring the score to 13-4, where it would end in favor of the visiting team.
With the win in game three, BYU took the series two games to one.
Bulldog Bites
- For the second game in a row, Jones earned a start at first base and turned in a strong performance at the plate. The junior went 2-for-4 with a double, his third extra-base hit of the season. The Kent, Wash., native is hitting .364 on the year, tallying eight hits in 22 at bats while plating seven RBIs. He's slugging .545, the second-best mark on the team of players with more than five at-bats.
- Sinatro also had a decent day at the plate, collecting two hits in three at-bats. The junior also saw his first action of the season as a defender, taking over at catcher in the fifth inning after pinch hitting in the bottom of the fourth. Sinatro made one putout on the day.
- Breshears entered the game having reached base in all 22 games of the season. The junior went 0-for-3 on the day with a sacrifice fly, however, to snap the streak. His on-base percentage of .368 is still the fourth-best of all qualified players on the squad.
- The contest was Gonzaga's longest of the day, lasting 3 hours and 30 minutes. It surpassed the previous long of 3:22. Also, a 21 MPH southwest wind blew from throughout much of the game. The gusts pushed across the field from right field to left, impacting a number of high balls hit into the outfield.
Next Up
The Bulldogs (11-12, 2-4 WCC) will play a pair of home non-conference games against in-state foe Washington early next week before heading out for their first conference road series. The Zags and Huskies will begin a two-game stint Tuesday, March 24, with first pitch coming at 6:05 p.m. That game will be broadcast regionally on SWX.
