May 15, 2016 Box Score
LOS ANGELES--With a thrilling extra-innings victory, the Gonzaga University baseball team clinched a ticket to the WCC Championships, swept Loyola Marymount, and picked up its 30th win of the season in one fell swoop Sunday, beating the Lions 9-7 at Page Stadium in Los Angeles.
The Zags (30-15, 16-8 WCC) got the winning runs in the top of the 12th inning. Justin Jacobs notched an infield single to give Gonzaga a base runner, and Jake Roberts joined him with a fielder's choice two batters later. With Jacobs on third, Roberts then stole second base without a worry from the LMU defense to give designated hitter Patrick Chung two runners in scoring position. The redshirt freshman knocked a 2-2 pitch up the middle for the game-winning hit, driving both Jacobs and Roberts in for a 9-7 lead.
In the bottom of the 12th, Gonzaga reliever Calvin LeBrun allowed a leadoff single, but he retired the next three batters to close out the win, his fourth of the year.
Gonzaga held three leads and saw two tie scores Sunday, taking their second advantage with a go-ahead run in the top of the 11th. The Bulldogs loaded the bases on two consecutive base hits and a walk, and center fielder Sam Brown then slid a single into center field, scoring Roberts on the play. Loyola Marymount got out of the inning with no further damage, and the home side tied the game up with an RBI fielder's choice from Steven Chavez.
After LMU scored the game's first run in the first inning, the Zags took their first lead of the contest with a six-spot in the second. Gonzaga got a pair of leadoff singles in the frame, and both runners advanced 90 feet with a sacrifice bunt. After a lineout for the Zags' second out, the next five batters reached base. Jace VanDeBrake gave Gonzaga the lead with a two-RBI single up the middle, and two batters later, Jeff Bohling hit a blast out to left center, plating three. Tyler Frost later capped off the inning with an RBI single.
Once he got through the first inning, Gonzaga starter Hunter Wells settled down for three frames, allowing just two base runners from the second to the fourth. In the bottom of the fifth, however, the Lions got to Wells for four more runs. The first four batters reached on singles, and two more groundouts scored runs as well. Seaver Whalen then doubled down the right field line, bringing Loyola Marymount within a run at 6-5.
Gonzaga closer Wyatt Mills took over in the eighth, inheriting that 6-5 lead. He pitched a scoreless eighth inning, but the Lions forced extras with an RBI double from Jamey Smart in the bottom of the ninth.
Bulldog Bites:
- The Zags will be playing in their third WCC Championship tournament; they reached the tournament the first two years of its existence in 2013 and 2014 before missing it last season. The WCC Championships are held at Banner Island Ballpark in Stockton, Calif.
- Gonzaga is also a full game ahead of BYU and Saint Mary's in the WCC standings after Sunday's win. At 16-8 in conference play, they still need three wins to guarantee themselves the WCC regular season title as both BYU and Saint Mary's (15-9) hold tiebreakers over Gonzaga. Pepperdine (14-10) is currently fourth, but with three games remaining, sixth-ranked San Diego (12-12) has an outside chance at working its way into the Banner Island lineup. Gonzaga ends the WCC season with three games against the Toreros while BYU hosts Santa Clara, Saint Mary's travels to Portland, and Pepperdine hosts Pacific next weekend.
- After clinching their first win over LMU since 2011 Saturday, the Zags posted their first series sweep over the Lions since 2010 when the two clubs met for three in Spokane. Its Gonzaga's fifth series sweep of the season after taking all three games off UTSA, Pacific, and Portland and winning both at Oregon. They can add a sixth with a win over Washington State in a few days; Gonzaga's beaten the Cougars twice already this year.
- Gonzaga has now played five extra-innings games in 2016, and they improved their record to 4-1 in such games. They've won their last four contests with free baseball, beating Pepperdine, Washington, and Pacific in 11 innings earlier in the season. Before Sunday, they hadn't seen extras in 19 games, since April 2 at Pacific.
- In all this series, Gonzaga pitchers tallied 31 strikeouts after getting 10 more today: five from Wells, two each from LeBrun and Mills, and one from Sam Hellinger. The Zags entered the three-game set second in the conference in the category and leading the WCC with 8.9 per game. Zag pitchers have now combined for 405 strikeouts on the year and are only 17 from tying the school record of 422 set in 2009.
Mac Talk: Thoughts from Gonzaga head coach Mark Machtolf
- "The hitters did a great job of staying with it after [Loyola Marymount starter J.D.] Busfield settled in. We're very proud in their relentless effort to keep punching and finally break through."
Next Up:
Gonzaga looks to sweep the season series against Washington State as the two Eastern Washington clubs square off on Tuesday, May 17. That game will take place at Gesa Stadium in Pasco, Wash., home of the minor-league Tri-City Dust Devils.
