Box Score

MORAGA, Calif.--The Gonzaga University baseball team began a big early-season conference series at Saint Mary's Thursday, falling to the Gaels 2-0 in game one at Louis Guisto Field in Moraga, Calif.

The contest turned into an expected pitcher's duel as both team's starters entered the game undefeated and with ERAs under 2.25. Junior right-hander Brandon Bailey turned in his fifth consecutive quality start, holding the Gaels to one run and striking out nine in six innings of work. The home club got saw 10 batters reach off Bailey, but the Broomfield, Colo., native stranded or erased all but one of them, including leaving the bases loaded in the fourth inning. Bailey issued two walks and allowed a hit in the frame, but he also struck out the side to get through it unscathed.

GU's bats, meanwhile, saw six baserunners off SMC starter Corbin Burnes, tallying four hits, drawing a walk, and getting hit by a pitch during the junior's second consecutive complete game. In the second, Tyler Frost reached second base, singling to get on base and taking second on an errant pickoff attempt by Burnes. He was left in scoring position, however. During the top of the sixth, the Zags tried to get a two-out rally going with both Sam Brown and Patrick Chung posting back-to-back singles to reach base. First baseman Taylor Jones then got tagged by a pitch to load the bases, but Justin Jacobs then struck out to end the threat.

Saint Mary's scored the game's first run by scratching one across in the sixth. Edward Haus led the frame off with a double to the left field wall, and he came around to score two batters later on an RBI triple down the right field line from Brett Rasso. Facing a runner on third with just one out, the Bulldog ace struck out the final two batters to hold the home team to just the one run in the inning.

Gonzaga tried to answer in the seventh. Jeff Bohling led the frame off with a double down the right field line, and he moved to third on a ground-out from Frost. With shortstop Dustin Breshears at bat, the Zags put on the suicide squeeze, but Frost was caught trying to steal when Breshears was unable to touch a pitch that was well inside and low. Breshears then made an out to end the inning.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Gaels added one more run when Nate Nolan cleared the wall in right center field with a 1-0 pitch from Wyatt Mills, and Burnes sat the Zags down in order in the top of the ninth to end the contest.

Bulldog Bites:

• Despite suffering his first career loss against Saint Mary's, Bailey still has impressive numbers against the Gaels. In his three games against Saint Mary's, he's 2-1 with a 0.75 ERA, striking out 24 Gaels batters in 24 innings. In each of his first two starts versus SMC, Bailey went the distance, including a four-hit shutout April 12 of last season. In all this season, Bailey still has a 1.95 ERA, allowing just eight earned runs in 37 innings of work. He entered the day second in the WCC in strikeouts and now has 46 on the year. The junior also entered the game with the third-best ERA in the league and top hits-allowed-per-nine-innings mark. His nine strikeouts Thursday equaled his yearly high, which he set twice previously.
• With the double in the seventh, Bohling extended his hit streak to a career-long 10 games. During the stretch, he's hitting .429 with 18 hits -- including four doubles and two home runs -- 10 runs, seven RBIs, and four walks. The Bellevue, Wash., native has also reached base safely in the last 16 games, also a career high. Both streaks are now Gonzaga's longest active ones as Jacobs saw his 15-game hit streak snapped.
• This series pits the squads at No. 2 and No. 3 against one another in the West Coast Conference standings as the Zags entered the game with a 2-1 record in conference play and 11-7 mark overall. Saint Mary's also was at 2-1 against WCC foes and a half-game back of GU at 11-8 for the third spot in the league order. BYU leads the conference with an 18-1 overall mark and 2-1 conference record.

Mac Talk: Thoughts from GU head coach Mark Machtolf

• "It was a great pitching matchup today, and Burnes was just a little better today. Bailey wasn't quite as sharp as he was last week versus Pepperdine but did a great job of battling."
• "Tip your cap to Burnes, he attacked the zone and did a great job of using his off-speed stuff off a really good fastball. Next time we see him, we need to do a better job of adjusting as the game goes on."

Next Up:

Gonzaga (11-8, 2-2 WCC) and the Gaels will continue the early series between WCC contenders with another 3:00 p.m. contest on Friday, March 25. Junior RHP Justin Vernia is slated to return to the starting rotation for Gonzaga, and the Gaels will turn to southpaw Johnny York.