Box Score

FORT WORTH, Texas--With strong pitching and timely run-producing, the Gonzaga University baseball team came from behind to beat No. 7/9 TCU by a 4-3 tally Friday night at Lupton Stadium in Fort Worth Texas.

TCU opened the scoring accord in the second inning. With two outs, Ryan Merrill doubled down the left field line and Dane Steinhagen brought him home with a single up the middle. The Horned Frogs added another run in the third after two more hits for extra-bases, including Evan Skoug's RBI double to left.

In the top of the fourth, Gonzaga got one of those runs back. First baseman Taylor Jones led the frame off with a single through the left side, but second baseman Justin Jacobs replaced him by grounding into a fielder's choice. The GU runner advanced to second on a groundout, and left fielder Tyler Frost brought Jacobs home with a single to center field. In the bottom of the frame, however, TCU countered with one of their own on another RBI from Steinhagen.

Gonzaga struck back in the seventh, taking the lead with two runs off the TCU bullpen. After starter Luken Baker was pulled in the sixth, Preston Guillory took the mound in the seventh as TCU's third pitcher of the night. After a groundout in the first at bat of the frame, right fielder Sam Brown greeted Guillory with a single up the middle, and designated hitter Patrick Chung passed the torch with a single to center. Jones then plated Brown with a double down the left field line for his second hit of the night, allowing Chung to take third. The redshirt freshman scored when Jacobs hit a sacrifice fly out to center for the go-ahead RBI.

Gonzaga starting pitcher Brandon Bailey tossed seven innings with nine strikeouts while allowing three runs, one each in the second, third, and fourth innings. The Broomfield, Colo., native settled down in his final two innings though, retiring his final six batters faced. He made way for junior reliever Sam Hellinger in the eighth, and the junior transfer kept pace by setting down the heart of TCU's order. He also retired the first two batters in the ninth, but Merrill made things interesting by tripling to right field, putting TCU's tying run 90 feet away. Redshirt freshman Daniel Bies replaced Hellinger and then got Steinhagen to swing at strike three, saving the win for Gonzaga. It's Bies' first career save and Bailey's second win of the season.

Bulldog Bites:

• Bailey's nine strikeouts are a season high and just one off his career high set March 6, 2015, at Tulane. He's averaging 7.67 strikeouts a game, well above his average of 5.35 as a sophomore last season. The junior entered the game fifth in the West Coast Conference in total strikeouts and strikeouts per game. He also turned in his second consecutive quality start.
• The GU bullpen was just as good tonight as Hellinger and Bies combined to retire six of seven TCU batters, including three via the strikeout. Over the last five games, Gonzaga relievers have combined to allow just one earned run in 18.1 innings, an ERA of 0.49.
• The Zags amassed 10 hits Friday night, their sixth game with at double-digit hits of the year. They entered the game with 69 hits on the year, second-most in the West Coast Conference and 15^th-most in Division I. Four Zags saw multi-hit games, including Brown (2), Jones (2), Frost, and shortstop Dustin Breshears.
• Gonzaga's runs in the seventh inning were the first earned runs that TCU's bullpen has surrendered this season. Before Friday night, the Horned Frogs had only allowed more than three runs once: their 5-3 loss to Loyola Marymount to open the season.
• TCU, a College World Series participant last year, entered the game ranked in all collegiate polls. The National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association has the Horned Frogs ranked No. 7, while Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball rate them No. 9. They're also No. 8 according to Perfect game and No. 11 for D1Baseball and USA Today/ESPN. Its GU's first ranked win of the year and their first game against a ranked team of the year
• Catcher Joey Harris notched his first pickoff of the season Friday, catching Baker too far off base in the fifth inning to get Bailey out of a two-out, two-on jam. Last season, Harris picked off four runners in addition to his 28 caught stealing.

Mac Talk: Thoughts from Gonzaga head coach Mark Mactholf

• "It was a great overall team effort. Bailey just kept battling. He really worked his fastball to both sides of the plate and showed the kind of poise and competitiveness that you expect out of your Friday night starter. Sam threw the ball very well and had a lot of confidence, too."
• "That's the third time Bies has come into a big spot and pitched like an upperclassmen. He didn't look like someone making his third Division I appearance."

Next Up:

The Zags (5-4) will continue their time in Fort Worth with the second of three games against No. 7/9 TCU Saturday, March 5. First pitch for game two is slated for 12:00 p.m. Pacific (2:00 p.m. Central). Junior right hander Justin Vernia will take the mound for Gonzaga while the Horned Frogs will counter with RHP Brian Howard.