March 9, 2016 Box Score
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.--Down 10-6 after just surrendering a grand slam, the Gonzaga University baseball squad fought back to score nine unanswered runs, including five alone in the top of the seventh, taking down No. 14 Arkansas Wednesday night at Baum Stadium in Fayetteville.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Razorbacks loaded the bases for second baseman Rick Nomura, who sent a pitch from GU reliever Sam Hellinger over the wall in right field for a four-run Arkansas lead. The sudden deficit didn't faze the Bulldogs, however, as they roared back with five in next frame to re-take the lead. Left fielder Tyler Frost led the frame off by reaching on a hard-hit ball to third base, and pinch hitter Jarod Gonzales gave the Zags another base runner with a single to center field. Those two then took advantage of erratic Arkansas pitching as both of them advanced and scored on three consecutive wild pitches. A walk and two consecutive hit batters loaded the bases for right fielder Sam Brown, who also drew a walk to drive in a run. One more -- Joey Harris -- scored on a double play ball, and Taylor Jones capped off the frame with a drive into left field, plating Branson Trube.
In the eighth, the Zags added to their lead when Gonzales doubled to right center and moved to third on a single from Dustin Breshears. Harris then drove in the redshirt junior with an RBI single of his own.
The Zags plated three more in the top of the ninth, once again getting the first two runners on base with back-to-back singles. They loaded the bases when Frost got plunked by a pitch, and Nick Brooks picked up an RBI by getting hit by another pitch to bring in Jeff Bohling. Breshears then ripped an RBI single to right to plate Jones, and Harris picked up another RBI hit by pitch to drive in the Zags' 15th run of the game.
In all, the Arkansas bullpen issued four wild pitches and hit five GU batters, and the Razorbacks used 12 pitchers in all, eight alone in the final three innings. Junior Justin Vernia, meanwhile, was the only Zag pitcher from the seventh to the ninth. He retired nine of the 10 batters he faced, including the first seven. Vernia earned the save as Hellinger picked up the victory.
Before the sixth inning, the lead had changed hands a couple of times. Arkansas began the game with two runs in the first inning, but the Bulldogs took the lead for the first time after two runs in the second and two in the third. Nomura's homer in the sixth inning gave Arkansas their second lead of the night.
Bulldog Bites:
- The bottom of the lineup spurred on the Zags' outburst as Breshears, Harris, and Trube -- GU's 7-, 8-, and 9-hole hitters -- combined for seven hits, six RBIs, four runs, and a walk. They all either set or equaled career marks in various offensive categories: Trube saw his first career multi-hit game with a pair of doubles while Breshears' three hits and Harris' three RBIs each tied career bests. GU's No. 3 hitter, Jones, led all players with four hits on the day to equal his career best as well.
- Vernia made his first appearance out of the bullpen this season after starting a game each of the previous three weekends. The junior transfer held Arkansas scoreless in the final three innings, only allowing one walk and striking out three. He earned the save, the first of his career. He's the fourth different Bulldog to pick up a save this season.
- The Zags constantly had runners on base, often early in the frame, too. They had at least one base runner in six of nine innings, and their leadoff batter reached in five of those innings. In fact, the Zags saw their first two batters reach base in five innings. Over the course of the year, Gonzaga's leadoff batter is reaching base 42 percent of the time (46x110).
- Gonzaga has found recent success against Arkansas as Wednesday's win is their fourth in a row. Last year, they swept a two-game series against the Hogs, winning 6-2 and 15-5. They also beat Arkansas in a neutral site game during the 2013 season.
- The win is Gonzaga's second over a ranked program this year as they beat then-No. 7 TCU 4-3 in Fort Worth March 4. The Zags will play only one more team currently in the polls: UCSB in the season finale May 23. The Gauchos are ranked No. 22 by Collegiate Baseball. Last year, the Zags picked up seven wins in 12 wins against ranked teams.
Mac Talk: Thoughts from Gonzaga head coach Mark Machtolf
- "This was a great win. We battled and stayed resilient throughout, answering with runs each time they scored. Vernia came in and did a nice job to limit them in the final frames. It's always good to go on the road and get quality wins over ranked opponents. We're looking forward to finishing the long road swing on a high note versus UTSA."
Next Up:
Gonzaga (6-6) will finish off its season-opening road trip back in San Antonio, Texas, with three games at UTSA. The first game against the Roadrunners is slated to begin at 3:00 p.m. Pacific (5:00 p.m. Central) on Friday, March 11 at Roadrunner Field.
