March 29, 2016 Box Score
SEATTLE--The Gonzaga University baseball team found itself in another pitcher's duel Tuesday night, falling 2-0 to Washington and splitting the non-conference series at Husky Ballpark in Seattle.
Gonzaga saw the game's first significant scoring chance, putting runners on the corners with zero outs in the third. Center fielder Branson Trube led off the frame with a double to right field and was promptly replaced by pinch runner Jace VanDeBrake. The redshirt freshman took third on a single from Jeff Bohling, but he was thrown out at home on the next play when Dustin Breshears hit a slow grounder to third base. The Huskies then got a double play ball to get out of the inning.
Washington took the lead in the bottom of the fourth on one pitch, the first hit given up by starter Eli Thornquist. After the first batter of the frame was retired, Josh Cushing hit a laser that crept over the fence in right field. Prior to Cushing's home run, Thornquist had retired five straight batters and only gave up two walks and a hit by pitch.
Gonzaga saw a runner reach base in each of the next three innings, but a pair of double plays erased two of them, and another was stranded in the fifth. UW also saw runners reach, but GU reliever Sam Hellinger got the Huskies to strand two in the fifth and one in the sixth. In the seventh, however, the home team picked up one more run on a pair of hits, including an RBI single from AJ Graffanino.
The visitors put another man on base in the ninth when Jones knocked a one-out single into left center, but Washington closed out the game with another double play, its fourth of the night. The final score remained 2-0 in favor of the Huskies.
Bulldog Bites:
- Thornquist made his first career start for the Zags Tuesday, tossing 4.0 solid innings for the Zags. He only allowed one run on two hits, one of them the solo home run in the fourth, while striking out three UW batters. Both his four innings pitched and three strikeouts were career highs at Gonzaga; entering the game, he had pitched two innings in four appearances, striking out a total of two batters. It was his first appearance since March 5 at TCU.
- The Gonzaga bullpen was once again solid against the Huskies as Hellinger and Justin Blatner combined to go 4.0 innings and allow just one run on three hits. Overall in the two-game series, GU relievers pitched 11.0 innings, allowing only two runs, one walk, and eight hits. They also struck out 10 Huskies, getting two from Blatner and one from Hellinger Tuesday night.
- Sinatro and Roberts also saw a starting nod, Sinatro getting his second of the year and Roberts his third. VanDeBrake saw extensive playing time in his sixth appearance, coming on as a pinch runner in the third inning. Jack Krauel also entered the game, pinch-running for Jarod Gonzales in the seventh.
- A pair of Bulldogs saw their busiest games on defense of the year as both Breshears and Bohling posted season highs in assists. Breshears threw out six players from short while Bohling tossed five out in the hot corner. Both beat their season bests by one.
- Jones extended his on-base streak to 12 games with a single in the first inning, equaling the longest streak of his career. Two innings later, Bohling singled to reach in his 20th straight game, extending his personal best on-base streak. Jones has reached base in every game since March 9 at Arkansas while Bohling's been on the basepaths ever since Feb. 21 at Grand Canyon during the opening of the year.
Next Up:
Gonzaga (13-10, 3-3 WCC) will return to West Coast Conference play on Friday, April 1, with a 7:00 p.m. contest at Pacific. Links for live stats and live video for that game may be found on www.GoZags.com.
