March 26, 2016 Box Score
MORAGA, Calif.--The Gonzaga University baseball team ended its three-game series in Moraga on a high note Saturday, beating Saint Mary's 7-1 with hot bats and a dominant start by right hander Eli Morgan.
Morgan tossed the Zags' first complete game of the year, holding the Gaels to one run on four hits in nine innings of work. The sophomore from Ranch Palos Verdes, Calif., struck out eight batters for his third eight-K game of the season and picked up the win to advance to 4-1 on the year. The only run - and three of Saint Mary's four hits - off Morgan came in the third inning, while he only faced three batters in six innings, benefitting from two double plays from his defense.
Gonzaga's offense, meanwhile, didn't have any trouble in getting to Saint Mary's starter Cameron Neff. First baseman Taylor Jones got GU's first hit of the game in the first inning, and senior catcher Joey Harris opened scoring in the third with a leadoff home run, the first of his career. After Saint Mary's responded with their run in the third, the Zags answered right back, re-taking the lead with a run on two hits in the fourth. Second baseman Justin Jacobs led the frame off with a single up the middle and moved to third two batters later on a wild pitch and a groundout. He then came around to score on an RBI double from Jarod Gonzales, who got the start as designated hitter Saturday.
The Bulldogs scored two more in the fifth inning, taking Neff for three extra-base hits before he was pulled. With one out, Sam Brown tripled down the right field line for a runner on third, and Jeff Bohling brought him home with a double down the same line. Jones followed up with a double to right center, ending Neff's day.
In the eighth inning, Harris added a run by going out to right center for his second home run of both his career and the day. GU added on two more in the ninth when Bohling reached via a single and stole his way to third base. Jacobs brought home the third baseman with a single up the middle. In the next at bat, Jones touched the plate on an RBI double from left fielder Tyler Frost, putting the score at 7-1 in favor of the away club. Morgan then retired the side in the ninth, capping off the Zags' lone win of the weekend.
Bulldog Bites:
- Not only was Morgan's complete game the first of the year for Gonzaga, but it was the first of his career. The nine-inning outing eclipsed his previous long of 8.0 innings set Feb. 21 of this season at Grand Canyon. Nine innings of one-run ball also lowered his ERA on the year from 6.67 to 5.35.
- After hitting his first career home run in the third, Harris waited just five innings for his second. The multi-home run game was the first of the year for any Bulldog; in fact the last time a Bulldog went yard twice in one game was April 1, 2012, when Royce Bolinger went deep twice during a 14-3 win over Pepperdine. During his final year as a Bulldog, Harris has experienced a power surge. He's already hit more doubles this season (6) than in his three previous years combined (5), and his slugging percentage of .453 is a career high. It's also the fourth-highest on the team this year.
- Five Zags saw double-digit hits on the afternoon with Jacobs leading the way with three. In all, the GU batters have combined for 72 multi-hit batters. Jones and Bohling - who each had two hits Saturday - led the way with 11 multi-hit games, and Brown posted his 10th Saturday. Jacobs now has two three-hit games and eight multi-hit games on the year. After collecting 14 hits as a team Saturday, the Zags now have 13 games in which they've reached double-digit hits. They've won 11 of those.
Mac Talk: Thoughts from Gonzaga head coach Mark Machtolf
- "Today was a great response after a disappointing end to yesterday. We had two very good pitching performances by Bailey and Morgan this weekend, we played good defense, and we had a chance to win every game. We're looking forward to two games in Seattle against UW before heading to Pacific."
- "Eli did a great job of attacking the zone and changing speeds. He gave us a huge outing when we needed to get a win to salvage the series."
Next Up:
Gonzaga (12-9, 3-3 WCC) will now fly to Seattle for a pair of games at cross-state foe Washington. The first game of that series will begin at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, March 28 and will be shown live on Pac-12 Washington.
