Box Score

SPOKANE, Wash.—A seven-run fifth inning was all the Gonzaga University baseball team needed to get past #25/27 San Diego Saturday afternoon, but the Zags got two more in the sixth inning as they took down the Toreros 9-1 at Patterson Baseball Complex & Washington Trust Field. With the win, Gonzaga took the series two games to one.

Gonzaga scored seven runs on six hits and two walks in the fifth inning, breaking the game open as the first four and seven of the first eight Bulldogs each reached base and came around to score. Second baseman Caleb Wood initiated the inning's scoring, singling through the left side to bring home Joey Harris. Two batters later, Taylor Jones continued the run with a knock into left field to plate Dustin Breshears. Both Harris and Breshears walked to start off the inning. Justin Jacobs then brought in two RBIs with a single to left center, chasing San Diego reliever Jacob Hill from the game

Cory LeBrun welcomed new USD pitcher Jonathan Teaney to the game with a double to the gap in left center, plating Jones and Jacobs with the hit. The senior designated hitter came around to score a run himself when Harris floated a double down the left field line in his second at bat of the frame. In all, Gonzaga sent 11 men to the dish in the fifth inning.

After GU starting pitcher Andrew Sopko retired the Toreros in order in the top of the sixth, the Zags got two more runs to build their lead to 9-1. Sam Brown led the frame off with a walk and came in for a run two batters later when Mitchell Gunsolus doubled to the warning track in left center. Jones followed up with a single through the middle for Gonzaga's final RBI of the game.

Sopko meanwhile did his best to hold down the USD offense. The Toreros got one run in the fourth inning off Gonzaga's junior right hander with an RBI single from Jesse Jenner, but that was it as Sopko retired the next 10 batters, working into the seventh inning. After Riley Adams and Austin Bailey both reached base with two down in the seventh, Sopko got Hunter Mercado-Hood to ground into a fielder's choice to get out of the frame. He pitched 7.0 innings on the day, striking out three and walking two batters.

After Sopko's departure, Zach Abbruzza and Hunter Wells each pitched a scoreless inning in relief with Wells striking out two in the ninth, clinching the win and the series for the Bulldogs. It was Gonzaga's first conference series win of the season.

Bulldog Bites

• Gonzaga's seven-run fifth inning equaled the biggest inning for the Zags this season, matching the seven-spot they put on Arkansas during the ninth inning March 11. Their six hits in the frame were the most in a single inning this season, and they've now batted around three separate times. In the most recent occurrence, Gonzaga sent 11 men to the plate in the eighth inning versus BYU on March 20, scoring five runs for a 7-6 comeback win.
• Jones continued his tear through conference play Saturday, going 4-for-5 with a double, two RBIs, and a run scored. Against West Coast Conference opponents, the junior is hitting .515 (14x33) with seven RBIs three doubles, and a slugging percentage of .606, the highest on the team. He's played in nine of the team's 12 conference games, and the Bulldogs are 5-4 in those nine games. Also, Jones is the third Zag to hit safely four times in one game this season; both Gunsolus and Tyler Frost did so during game two against Purdue Feb. 26. Four hits is a career high for Jones.
• Sopko turned in one of his better performances on the mound, allowing one earned run or fewer for the third time this season. He's also thrown 6.0 or more innings six times this season. Thanks to the strong pitching performance and the Zags' nine runs, Sopko picked up his fourth win of the year.
• LeBrun extended his hit streak to 15 games, the longest of his career and the longest on the team this season and longest since Royce Bolinger also hit in 15 consecutive games in 2012. During the stretch, LeBrun is hitting .364(20x55) with seven doubles, eight RBIs, seven runs, and four walks. The redshirt junior has also reached base his last 19 games. The next hit streak in GU history LeBrun is chasing down is Drew Heid's 19-gamer in 2010.
• The Gonzaga defense played solidly again Saturday, not making any errors and assisting 13 putouts. Combined with zero errors on April 3, this is the first time all season the Zags have gone consecutive games without committing an error. Harris, from behind the plate, was especially dangerous defensively has he caught another Torero attempting to steal base, making him a perfect 5-for-5 on throwing out attempted base stealers against USD. He's now thrown out 21 baserunners on the season on 40 attempts, a caught stealing percentage of .525.

Zag Speak - Thoughts on the game from Gonzaga coaches and players
Assistant Coach Steve Bennett on the team's overall play
"When we put it all together, when we pitch and when we play defense, we're a really good team. That's what we're starting to prove a bit."

On Harris' performance behind the plate during the weekend
"That's a team that runs a lot, tries to do a lot of stuff, and we through them out every time they tried something. That was huge for us…It shortened up a lot of innings, and it took some stressful pitches off our pitchers."

Catcher Joey Harris on Saturday's game
"We played well and we needed that win. That was huge for us; to win a series at home against a top-25 team is big, really big."

Next Up
The Bulldogs (15-16, 5-7 WCC) will close out a two-game home-and-home series with Washington State on Tuesday, April 7, with a 6:00 p.m. contest at Bailey-Brayton Field in Pullman, Wash. Neither team has announced a starter for that game. Gonzaga won the first game of the series 5-4 on March 31 in Spokane.