Feb. 27, 2016 Box Score
Game One Recap | Game Two Recap
SAN ANTONIO, Texas-The Gonzaga University baseball team continued play at the Alamo Irish Classic Saturday, splitting a pair of close games during a two-opponent doubleheader at San Antonio's Nelson Wolff Stadium.
Game One: Bradley 5, Gonzaga 4 (12 innings)
The Zags led the day off with their first extra-inning affair of the season, falling by one run in 12 innings. In the top of the 12th, Bradley got the winning run on an RBI single by Tyler Leffler. The Zags had a chance to tie the game up in the bottom of the frame, loading the bases with one out. Designated hitter Patrick Chung was the first Zag batter with the bases juiced, but he hit into a fielder's choice as the Braves elected to throw Sam Brown out at home. Next, Tyler Frost struck out swinging to end the game.
In the bottom of the ninth, the Zags scored a run to force extra innings. Down one, the first two GU batters made outs, but Jake Roberts started a two-out rally with a double down the left field line. Brown then ripped a single to left field, allowing Roberts to score from second base and taking second himself on a throw home. Roberts' run tied the score at 4-all.
To begin the game, Gonzaga grabbed the lead in the first inning, getting a run on an RBI groundout from Justin Jacobs. The Bulldogs led until the fourth inning when Bradley plated two, but the Zags tied it back up in the sixth when Chung ripped a pinch-hit single into left field, scoring Taylor Jones. They took the lead back in the seventh on a sacrifice fly from Branson Trube, which plated catcher Joey Harris, who had led off the inning with a double to right field.
In the eighth, Bradley once again scored two runs to take a 4-3 lead.
GU starter Justin Vernia pitched 6.2 innings while allowing two runs, posting his second quality start of the year but not figuring into the decision. The loss fell to Wyatt Mills who pitched 3.1 innings in relief, allowing just one hit and one unearned run.
Game Two: Gonzaga 8, Incarnate Word 5
Gonzaga also took an early lead in game two on the day, scoring two runs in the top of the first against Incarnate Word. With two outs, the Zags loaded the bases with singles from Jones and Jeff Bohling along with a walk from Jacobs. With the bases loaded, Frost sent a base knock up the middle, allowing Jones and Jacobs to score for the Zags.
Incarnate Word countered with three of their own in the bottom of the inning, getting those scores on two hits and two walks. Christian Divelbiss tallied the big hit in the frame, posting a two-RBI triple to right field.
The Zags struck back immediately, scoring three in the top of the second to re-take the lead. Jarod Gonzales and Dustin Breshears both reached base to begin the frame with a single and a walk, respectively. Brown joined them on base via another walk, and Chung hit a sacrifice fly out to center field to bring home Gonzales. Breshears took third on the play and then came home himself on another sacrifice fly, this one from Jones. GU then re-loaded the bases for Frost, who picked up another RBI after getting plunked by a pitch from Cardinal reliever Ryan Dubbels.
Both teams scored one run in the fifth inning, and GU tacked on two more in the top of the sixth. Chung ripped an RBI single in the fifth while Roberts also did so in the sixth. Also in the sixth, Gonzales sacrificed himself to bring in Bohling for an 8-4 Gonzaga lead.
Incarnate word got one run back in the bottom of the eighth inning, but that was it as Bulldog reliever Sam Hellinger tossed four innings of two-hit ball. He allowed just one run and one walk while striking out five Incarnate Word batters. Righty Hunter Wells got the win for Gonzaga, fanning a career high eight Cardinals in five innings.
Bulldog Bites:
- The 12-inning game against Bradley was Gonzaga's longest since May 15, 2013, when the Zags closed out the regular season with another 12-inning affair at California. GU went into extra innings just once in the 2014 and 2015 seasons with both of those games ending after the 10th.
- Three Zags got their first start of the season against Incarnate Word: Wells, Jimmy Sinatro, and Gonzales. Both Wells and Sinatro had earned a spot in the starting lineup earlier in their careers while Gonzales saw his first. He began the game in right field, going 1-for-2 with a run and an RBI.
- In addition, two Zags got their first hits of the year today with Sinatro tallying one base knock and Roberts getting two. Against Incarnate Word, Sinatro singled to right field in the fifth inning before getting subbed out for a pinch runner. Roberts' first hit of the year - and first as a Zag - was the double in the ninth inning against Bradley. He also knocked a hit through the left side of the infield in the sixth inning against Incarnate Word, posting one run and one stolen base against the Cardinals.
- In all, the Zag pitching staff had an up-and-down day, but definitely showed promise Saturday. They posted a 2.57 ERA by allowing only six earned runs in 21 innings and striking out 24 batters, but also issued 14 free passes. Hellinger earned his first save after his four-inning, two-hit performance against Incarnate Word, and Mills held Bradley to just one run - albeit the winning run - and a .111 batting average in 3.1 innings in relief.
Mac Talk: Thoughts from Gonzaga head coach Mark Machtolf:
- "Overall we were pleased with the battle from our guys. We didn't do the little things in game one and gave one away. In game two, we had a good bounce back after an emotional loss and grinded one out in a long day of baseball."
Next Up:
Gonzaga (4-3) will wrap up the Alamo Irish Classic Sunday, Feb. 28, with a single game against tournament host Notre Dame. First pitch for that contest is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. Pacific (11:00 a.m. Central), again at Nelson Wolff Stadium. RHP Eli Morgan is slated to take the mound for Gonzaga while the Irish will counter with LHP Michael Hearne.
