Box Score

SPOKANE, Wash.--With stellar defensive efforts and just as high-quality pitching, the Gonzaga baseball team clinched a series win over Santa Clara Saturday night, shutting out the Broncos 3-0 at Patterson Baseball Complex & Washington Trust Field.

For the second night in a row, the Bulldogs scored the game's first runs, and again they came on a two-run homer. Catcher Joey Harris slid a 0-1 pitch into right center for a single, giving the Zags a leadoff base runner. In the next at bat, designated hitter Nick Brooks smashed a pitch from Santa Clara starter Steven Wilson over the protective netting past the left-field fence for a two-run home run and a 2-0 lead for the Zags.

In the next half-inning, Santa Clara tried to answer by getting two of the first three batters aboard via base hits, but GU starter Eli Morgan drew Kert Woods into a double play to get out of the frame.

The Bulldogs added another run in the sixth after again getting the leadoff batter on base. Left fielder Sam Brown reached on a five-pitch walk and, after a pair of long outs to center field, Tyler Frost brought home the redshirt junior with a double out to the gap in left center.

Once again, the Broncos responded by threatening to score in the top of the seventh. The first two Santa Clara batters reached via singles, but Harris caught the lead runner Jake Brodt trying to steal third on a double-steal. After a walk and a stolen base put runners on the corners, pinch hitter John Cresto hit a soft liner to Dustin Breshears at short to end the inning.

Santa Clara had another strong chance at getting a run off Morgan in the eighth, but the Zags' defense kept the shutout intact. Morgan himself chipped in, catching a sharply-hit liner and throwing out SCU's Kyle Cortopassi at first for a double play and the inning's first two outs. After a walk gave Santa Clara another base runner, TC Florentine found the gap in left center, but Frost got his glove under the ball, completing the catch despite ending up on his back to end the frame.

In the ninth, redshirt freshman Daniel Bies came out and registered the frame's first two outs, but he also allowed two runners to reach and brought the tying run to the plate. Junior Wyatt Mills took over for Bies, striking out Santa Clara pinch hitter Stevie Berman for the save, his third in the last four games.

Bulldog Bites:

• Gonzaga posted its fourth shutout of the season, holding the Broncos scoreless by scattering nine hits and forcing the Broncos to leave nine runners on base. It's the Zags' first win of the season while being out-hit by an opponent. All four of their shutouts have come in the last 13 games, and the Zags are 11-2 during that stretch.
• The Zags entered the game with a .977 fielding average, the best in the West Coast Conference. They displayed that defensive prowess with a trio of diving catches, including one from Tyler Frost in the first inning, Taylor Jones on a popped-up bunt in the third, and Breshears on a diving liner in the fifth.
• Morgan picked up the win, his seventh of the season and sixth in his last seven starts. With adding seven more strikeouts and eight scoreless innings pitched, he now has a 1.37 ERA during that stretch and has lowered his season ERA to 3.29, more than six whole points from where it was after his start at TCU in early March. Six of his last seven starts have been quality starts, and four of those are ultra-quality starts where he's allowed fewer than two runs in at least 7.0 innings of work.

Zag Speak:

Gonzaga head coach Mark Machtolf:

• "We told our team that this wouldn't be an easy series, and it hasn't been. They pitch well and they do a lot of good things. Everything in this league is capable for sure."
• "If you want to win a championship, you have to find a bunch of different ways to win. Certainly we pitched well in the clutch and played great defense. That's what you have to do sometimes; you can't always come out and get 15 hits and score 10 runs."

Redshirt sophomore Nick Brooks:

• "I've been more than ready to get out there. If I don't see my name in the lineup, I just go slow, just do my job, and try to help out any way I can. If I'm in the lineup, it feels good to help out that way."
• "Yeah, I got a big-time fastball over the outer half. It decided to go a little bit, the wind helped out a bit."

Next Up:

Gonzaga (24-12, 12-5 WCC) will wrap up the series with Santa Clara and the 2016 home slate Sunday, April 24 with a 12:00 p.m. contest. Sophomore right-hander Gage Burland will start for the Bulldogs, and Santa Clara will send out left-hander Jason Seever. Prior to the game, four seniors who'll be playing their final contest at Patterson Baseball Complex will be honored for their hard work and dedication to Gonzaga baseball: Breshears, Harris, Jones, and Jimmy Sinatro.