Gonzaga University
Washington State
Zags Down Cougars in Regional Rivalry
4/1/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Box Score
SPOKANE, Wash.—Timely hitting and solid pitching has been the Gonzaga University baseball team's recipe for winning ballgames all year, and Tuesday night proved to be no different as the Zags pulled through when it mattered most, downing Washington State 5-4 at Patterson Baseball Complex in Spokane.
Gonzaga took an early lead, plating two runs in the second inning. The first two runners reached base by drawing walks, and then Mitchell Gunsolus took Jeff Bohling's spot on base after hitting into a fielder's choice. In the next at bat, designated hitter Cory LeBrun brought in Sam Brown, the Zags' lead runner, with a double to the right field gap. Two batters later, Taylor Jones brought in the next run with a grounder to WSU third baseman Shane Matheny, who bobbled the ball while attempting to field it and allowed every GU runner to reach safely. The play also allowed Gunsolus to score from third base.
Washington State scored the game's next three runs, getting two in the fourth to tie the game and one more in the fifth for the outright lead. The Cougars led the fourth off with three consecutive singles, the last one an RBI base knock from Wes Hatten. Their second run of the frame came when J.J. Hancock reached on an RBI fielder's choice, allowing Wes Leow to cross the plate for an unearned run.
In the top of the fifth, the visitors took a temporary lead when Ian Sagdal got ahold of the first pitch he saw from starter Tyler Frost for his first home run of the season.
The Zags took the lead back for good in the bottom of the sixth inning. After Justin Jacobs led the frame with a walk, Jones took WSU reliever Scotty Sunitsch deep to left field for his first home run of the season. After Jones' bomb, Gonzaga picked up another run when Bohling singled to center field, allowing Joey Harris to score. The GU catcher reached base with a single up the middle and moved to third base on ground balls from Dustin Breshears and Brown.
After Jones gave the Zags the lead, Gonzaga went back to the bullpen. Zach Abbruzza relieved Frost in the top of the sixth, Brandon Bailey pitched a scoreless seventh inning, and David Bigelow took over in the eighth for an attempt at a two-inning save. The redshirt senior retired the Cougars in order in the eighth, but Washington State got three hits and one run off him in the ninth, cutting the GU lead to one at 5-4. After the RBI single from Sagdal, Bigelow bounced back to strikeout Leow on a 2-2 count to complete the save.
Bulldog Bites
- Jones' home run in the sixth inning was the junior's first of the season and second of his career. His other four-bagger came March 9, 2014 at UC Irvine, a solo shot in the second inning of that contest. In all, GU batters have hit 10 home runs this season, two more than last year's total of eight. The Zags have had base runners for four of those blasts. Additionally, Jones' three RBIs tonight equaled a career record he set just two games previously on March 28 at LMU.
- Gonzaga has now beaten Washington State in eight of the last 10 games played between the two eastern Washington schools. GU went 2-1 against Washington State last season and has won each of the last three season series against the Cougars. The two will wrap up their home-and-home series on Tuesday, April 7 in Pullman.
- With an RBI double in the first inning, LeBrun extended his hit streak to 12 games, the longest of his career and tied for the Bulldogs' second-longest of the season. During the streak, which stretches back to May 11at Arkansas, he's hitting .364 (16x44) with five RBIs, five doubles, and six runs scored. The redshirt senior has also reached base in all 16 games during the month of March. Both streaks are the longest active on the team.
- The Zags' bullpen pitched 3.2 innings tonight with all three relievers combining for five strikeouts. Abbruzza fanned one Cougar batter during his 0.2 innings of work, and both Bailey and Bigelow struck out two apiece. Bigelow picked up his fifth save of the season after entering the contest fifth in the West Coast Conference in the category. It's also Bigelow's second two-inning save of the year.
- In his first start in just over two weeks, Frost went 5.1 innings while allowing two earned runs (three total) and striking out a season high four batters. The freshman lowered his ERA by 62 points to 5.68.
Zag Speak - Thoughts from the Bulldogs about the game
Associate Head Coach Danny Evans
"As of late, Taylor [Jones] has been the guy who's emerged when we needed a first baseman to stand up and play defense there, and he's been the guy who's been getting the biggest hits for us. He's been our spark plug."
Junior first baseman Taylor Jones
"It's always a tough game when you play WSU. It's a bit of an eastern Washington rivalry, so it's always a good battle."
Next Up
Gonzaga (13-15, 3-6 WCC) remains at home over Easter weekend and will host conference leader San Diego in a Thursday-Saturday series. First pitch for game one against the Toreros is slated for 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 2, again at Patterson Baseball Complex. Neither team has announced starting pitchers as of yet.
