Box Score
SPOKANE, Wash.—The Gonzaga University baseball team opened up a series against #25/27 San Diego Thursday night, falling to the Toreros 9-4 at Patterson Baseball Complex & Washington Trust Field.
San Diego took a lead in the first inning, scoring four runs before the Zags had a turn at bat. The first four hitters reached base for the Toreros, getting three hits and a walk off GU starter Calvin LeBrun to begin the game. The freshman southpaw snapped that stretch with the bases loaded, getting Austin Bailey to hit a grounder at first baseman Taylor Jones, who threw out the runner at home plate instead of retiring Bailey for the fielder's choice. The next two Toreros tallied hits, however, and Sean-Luke Brija came in to retire the next two batters and end the top half of the first.
The visitors picked up three more in the top of the second, all of which were unearned. USD leadoff hitter Bryson Brigman reached base after a fielding error from Mitchell Gunsolus, and the GU third baseman made a throwing error that allowed Colton Waltner to reach base two batters later, scoring Brigman. The next two Torero runs came on a sacrifice fly to right field and a base hit up the middle.
Gonzaga answered those second-inning runs with two of their own in the bottom of the frame. With one down, Justin Jacobs picked up his fifth double of the year with a two-bagger to right center to give the Zags a runner in scoring position. Two batters later, Tyler Frost ripped the first pitch he saw from USD ace David Hill over the right field fence, smacking his second home run of the season.
Brija settled down a bit in the middle innings, allowing USD just two base runners in the next three frames and not letting either runner reach second base. The guests did score two more off the reliever in the sixth though, getting their first three runners aboard via singles, the last of which brought around leadoff runner Hunter Mercado-Hood. Waltner then brought in another with a sacrifice fly. Brija did strand a base runner on third, however, when he got Bailey to strikeout looking to end the frame.
The Bulldogs picked up a couple extra runs in the eighth inning with a sacrifice fly from Bohling to plate Dustin Breshears, and Cory LeBrun ripped an RBI double that brought around pinch runner Caleb Wood. Gonzaga also had chances to get more in the ninth, loading the bases with one out, but Wood and Gunsolus struck out swinging to end the game.
Bulldog Bites
- Frost picked up his second career home run in the second inning, a two-run blast to right field that plated his 12th and 13th RBIs of the season. He's now tallied an RBI in each of the last three games and in four of this last five with a plate appearance. His first career home run came Feb. 28 at Arizona State in his hometown of Phoenix.
- Two GU relievers saw decent outings Thursday night as Gage Burland and Sean-Luke Brija worked a combined 8.2 innings. Burland made his eighth appearance of the year, going a season-high 3.0 innings and fanning three Torero batters while working the seventh, eighth, and ninth. The three innings of scoreless ball lowered the freshman's ERA 1.80 points to 4.35 on the season. Brija, meanwhile, made his fourth appearance of the year and second of the conference season, going 5.2 innings to close out the first inning and last until through the sixth. The junior allowed five runs on five hits, but only two of those runs were earned. He also fanned two batters and lowered his ERA to 4.30 on the year.
- With his RBI double in the eighth inning, Cory LeBrun extended his hit streak to 13 games, the longest of his career and second-longest on the team this season. During the streak, the redshirt senior is hitting .354 with 17 hits, six runs, six RBIs, six doubles, and three walks.
- GU catcher Joey Harris caught three Torero runners stealing Thursday night, equaling a career mark he initially set Feb. 14th at Cal State Northridge. The junior entered the game having gunned down 16 of 35 base runners for a .457 caught stealing average. He's now thrown out exactly half of his attempted baserunners at 19 of 38.
- With the loss, GU fell to 2-3 against ranked teams this season. Their first game against ranked opposition came Feb. 28 when the lost to then-No. 9/18 Arizona State, but they rebounded to take two of three games at #25/30 Tulane. The Toreros are ranked #25 by Baseball America and #27 by Collegiate Baseball.
Zag Speak - Thoughts from Associate Head Coach Danny Evans on the game
On the start of the game
"Tough start on Thursday night. [Hill is] the number one guy in the league right now and you can't give him a seven-run lead. On the mound, at the plate, and even on defense, it didn't feel like we showed up ready to go immediately."
On Brija and Burland's relief performances
"Those are two guys we've been wanting to get innings…to get them back out there were two positives for us. For a young guy in Burland to get him out there and get his feet underneath him, he's going to get out there and show us some more.
Next Up
The Zags (13-16, 3-7 WCC) will continue their Easter weekend series with the Toreros on Friday, April 3, at 6:00 p.m. Gonzaga will send up regular Friday night starter RHP Brandon Bailey while San Diego will go with LHP PJ Conlon. That game will again take place at Patterson Baseball Complex.
