Gonzaga University
#2 UCLA
Zags Take on #2 UCLA in Narrowly-Contested Matchup
5/4/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Box Score
LOS ANGELES—The Gonzaga University baseball squad took No. 2 UCLA to the brink Sunday, entering the bottom of ninth tied at five before losing 6-5 on a walkoff hit at Jackie Robinson Stadium in Los Angeles.
Like in the second game of the series, the Zags were the first team to score with a run in the second inning. Second baseman Jeff Bohling reached base with a two-out single through the right side. Left fielder Tyler Frost picked the sophomore up with a double down the right field line, allowing Bohling to score from first base.
An inning later, Gonzaga added another tally with a solo home run from Mitchell Gunsolus, his fifth of the season. The four-bagger came off a 3-2 pitch from UCLA starter Griffin Canning. During the bottom half of the frame, the Bruins countered with a run of their own. Brett Stephens drew a one-out walk, and Kevin Kramer singled to move the lead runner to third. Stephens came home in the next at bat when Ty Moore grounded out to Bohling at second base.
Gonzaga got that run back in the top of the fourth inning. Bohling ripped a double of his own down the right field line and advanced to third when Frost followed up with a single. Catcher Joey Harris brought Bohling home with a rip up the middle. Canning got his glove on the ball but couldn't hang on for the catch. After the ball hit the dirt, he scooped it up and threw Harris out at first, allowing Bohling to cross the plate on the RBI groundout.
The Zags scored in their fourth consecutive inning with two more runs in the fifth. Gunsolus led the frame off with a single off relief pitcher Grant Dyer through the right side. Sam Brown replaced Gunsolus on base with a fielder's choice, but Taylor Jones would have brought home either runner in the next at bat, sending the ball sailing over the left field fence. The four-bagger was his fifth of the year as well.
Over the next two innings, however, UCLA tied the game at five. The Bruins got the first of those runs in the fifth when, with two outs and runners on the corners, they attempted a double steal. Harris threw Moore out at second base, but not before Stephens crossed home for UCLA's second run of the game. In the sixth inning, the Bruins scored three runs on two hits, also taking advantage of a Gonzaga error, a balk, and a walk. A sacrifice bunt to put UCLA's two leadoff batters on second and third with no outs chased Gonzaga starter Eli Morgan from the game. Both of those runners came around to score in the inning once reliever David Bigelow entered, and so did Christoph Bono, who reached base on an RBI double off Bigelow.
Both teams put the go-ahead run on third base in the bottom of the eighth and top of the ninth, but the Bruins' Chris Keck was thrown out at home after going from first to third on a double from Kort Peterson and Caleb Wood was stranded at third after moving over on a sacrifice bunt and a groundout. The Bruins got another scoring opportunity in the bottom of the ninth, this time capitalizing for a walkoff win. Stephens singled up the middle and moved into scoring position on a walk. Moore then slid a pitch from Bigelow down the right field line, allowing Stephens to clinch the game and the series for the second-ranked Bruins.
Bulldog Bites
- A freshman, Morgan made his first collegiate start Sunday, going 5.1 innings and allowing four runs, striking out two. Before allowing a run in the third inning, Morgan had extended his scoreless inning streak to 14.0 innings as he entered the game without having allowed a run in the past six games and 11.2 innings.
- Both Bohling and Frost tallied their first hits of the series Sunday, and they each collected two hits apiece. Bohling's single in the second and double in the fourth gave him his 10th multi-hit game of the year, and Frost picked up his eighth multi-hit game of the year by doubling in the second and singling in the fourth.
- Gonzaga hit two home runs Sunday, a solo shot from Gunsolus in the third inning and a two-run blast from Jones in the fifth. It's just the second game of the year in which GU posted two four-baggers, the other coming Feb. 28 at #9/18 Arizona State. In that contest, both Gunsolus and Frost went yard for solo shots. Overall this season, the Zags have hit 17 home runs on the year, the most since hitting 24 in 2012. Both of today's sluggers lead the team with five home runs apiece this season.
- Bigelow went 3.0 innings in Sunday's game, working more than 1.0 innings for the 10th time in 19 appearances. He's gone at least 1.2 innings in five of his last six outings dating back to April 11 against Saint Mary's. The outing is tied for his second longest of the year; he went 4.0 March 26 versus San Francisco and 3.0 on April 11.
Mac Talk - Thoughts from Gonzaga head coach Mark Machtolf
"This weekend showed us and everyone else that we can play with anyone when we are playing our game. The offense did a great job against a really good pitching staff, and our pitching for the most part was ok. We just have to finish games."
Next Up
The Zags (21-23, 10-11 WCC) return to West Coast Conference play next weekend as they host Pacific in the final homestand of the season. The first contest of the three-game stint against the Tigers will begin at 6:00 p.m. at Patterson Baseball Complex & Washington Trust Field in Spokane.
