Box Score

SEATTLE --The Gonzaga University baseball team showed off its resiliency Monday night, erasing numerous deficits before coming out on top 8-6 in an 11-inning affair against Washington at Husky Ballpark in Seattle.

UW took an early lead with an unearned run in the first inning, but the Bulldogs immediately responded with a pair of runs to take the lead in the second. Third baseman Jeff Bohling gave the Zags with a four-pitch walk, and he moved up to second with a single from shortstop Dustin Breshears. Catcher Joey Harris followed up with a single up the middle, allowing Bohling to score, and two batters later, Branson Trube ripped a liner to center field, allowing Breshears to score from second.

In the bottom of the second, the Huskies scored two to re-take the lead, but Gonzaga once again answered back, tying the game without a base hit. Designated hitter Jarod Gonzales drew a leadoff walk, and he advanced 90 feet on a wild pitch from UW starter Will Ballowe, Ballowe's final pitch of the game. Gonzales, a redshirt junior from Kennewick, Wash., then moved up third on a groundout from Taylor Jones and touched the plate with another grounder from Justin Jacobs.

The game remained even at three until the bottom of the fourth when the home team re-took the advantage on a two run home run from Gage Matuszak. Once again, though, the Zags responded. Gonzales again led off the frame by reaching base, driving a double off the wall in right center field, and he came home in the very next at bat when Jones ripped a two-bagger down the left field line. The Kent, Wash., native was left on third base, however, after the next three batters made outs. Washington added one in the bottom of the fifth to take a 6-4 advantage.

In the eighth, the Zags rallied back once again to tie the game. After Jacobs led the frame off with a single, Bohling replaced him on a fielders' choice, beating out the throw to first to avoid the double play. Two batters later and with two outs, Harris turned a 0-2 count into a six-pitch walk to put the tying run on first base. Next up, Tyler Frost also fell down 0-2 in the count, but he battled through four more pitches before sending one off the fence in right field for a bases-clearing triple.

Neither team scored in the ninth inning - Gonzaga reliever Wyatt Mills got the Huskies to strand leadoff hitter Joey Morgan on second - to bring on extra innings. In the top of the 10^th, the Bulldogs got a pair of two-out runners with singles from Breshears and Jake Roberts, who entered the game as a pinch runner for Harris in the eighth. In the next at bat, however, Frost struck out to end the frame. Mills countered by posting three strikeouts in the frame, holding the Huskies scoreless and bringing on the 11^th.

Gonzaga took its first lead in the game in that 11^th inning. Backup catcher Jimmy Sinatro led off the frame with a single through the right side, and he moved over on a sacrifice bunt from Sam Brown. After Gonzales drew a walk, Jones smashed a ball into the gap in right center field, allowing both runners to score and giving Gonzaga an 8-6 advantage. Mills took the mound again in the bottom half of the frame and held the Huskies to just a two-out single to confirm the win.

Bulldog Bites:

• Mills turned in a sterling performance, posting a career high with five strikeouts in 4.0 innings of work, his longest of the year. He earned the win as well, moving his record to 1-1. In all, GU relievers tossed 7.0 innings of one-run ball as Calvin LeBrun took over for GU starter Gage Burland in the fifth. Mills and LeBrun held Washington to just one run on five hits, with only two of them coming after the sixth inning.
• The win was Gonzaga's second extra-innings game of the year after beating Pepperdine in 11 at home March 18. It's the Bulldogs' first win after trailing after the seventh inning, however, and first after not holding the lead entering the ninth.
• With the win, the Zags snapped a four-game losing skid to Washington, picking up their first win against the cross-state rival since 2012. In that year, they swept a two-game series in Seattle.
• Frost's two RBIs in the eighth inning were his 24^th and 25^th of the season, setting a personal best after posting 24 as a freshman in 2015. That run production leads the team, and Frost entered the game fifth in the conference in the statistic. Monday's contest was also his sixth multi-RBI game of the year, the most on the team.
• Burland posted his longest start of his career, going 4.0 innings and nearly getting an out in the fifth before exiting the game. He fanned five batters along the way, equaling his career best. His two walks allowed are also a best in starting roles. In all, he's thrown 10.1 innings during his three career starts, posting an ERA of 9.58, three-quarters of a full point below the mark he entered the game with.
• A few impressive on-base streaks were continued Monday night as Bohling reached for the 19^th straight game while both Jones and Harris did so for the 11^th. Bohling's on-base streak is the longest by a Bulldog this season and longest of his career, while both Jones and Harris are now just one short of their career-long marks, which are both 12.

Mac Talk: Thoughts from Gonzaga head coach Mark Machtolf

• "This is a great example of the type of character this team has. They stayed tough, even when they faced a bit of adversity. Obviously that was a huge hit from Frost in the eighth, but we also got two big ones from Sinatro and Roberts off the bench. It's nice to see those guys rise to the occasion."
• "Calvin did a nice job of keeping the game close, working out of a jam in the sixth. You couldn't ask any more from Mills, though. He was dominant at times and has a chance to really be the guy as the season progresses."

Next Up:

The Zags (13-9, 3-3 WCC) and Huskies will wrap up the intrastate series Tuesday, March 29, with another 5:00 p.m. contest at Husky Ballpark. Neither team has announced a starter for the series finale yet.