Box Score

FULLERTON, Calif.--It was once again a tight game between Gonzaga and No. 7/11 Cal State Fullerton Sunday, and the Zags once again came one run short, falling 3-2 to the Titans at Goodwin Field in Fullerton.

Both teams wasted little time in opening the scoring account. The Bulldogs got a run in the top of the first on a sacrifice fly from Justin Jacobs. The ball in the air scored Jeff Bohling, who reached with a one-out single and took third on another base knock from Tyler Frost. Cal State Fullerton countered in the bottom of the frame, getting an RBI double from Niko Pacheco with two runners on base. Facing two in scoring position with two outs, GU starter Mac Lardner then tallied a strikeout to end the inning.

The Titans took the lead with two runs on two hits and a costly Gonzaga error in the third. Facing a runner on second base with one out, Lardner got Sahid Valenzuela to hit a grounder to Jacobs on the right side of the infield, but the ball bounced off Jacobs' glove and into the outfield, allowing Dillon Persinger to score on the mistake. Two batters later, Pacheco plated Valenzuela with an RBI single to center field. Both runs in that frame were unearned.

Gonzaga got one of those tallies back in the sixth thanks to a leadoff single by Bohling. The senior third baseman then moved from first to third on another Frost single, and he came home on another productive out from Jacobs. The next two batters made outs, however, to strand Jacobs.

Cal State Fullerton, meanwhile, didn't see any more scoring opportunities. After Lardner walked the first batter he faced in the fourth inning, junior southpaw Calvin LeBrun came on in relief. LeBrun ended the frame with a sacrifice bunt, a strikeout, and a groundout, and he shut down the CSUF offense through the eighth. The Phoenix, Ariz., native didn't allow a hit in his five innings of work, but he did strike out six batters and issued just one base on balls.

Despite allowing one earned run - three total - Lardner took the loss for Gonzaga, the first of his career. Starter Blake Workman got the win for the Titans after pitching four innings and allowing just the first-inning run. Closer Brett Conine made his second consecutive save by a perfect ninth inning.

Bulldog Bites:

• All three games of the weekend series were decided by just one run apiece. Gonzaga won the first 1-0 on the back of a dominant performance from starting pitcher Eli Morgan, and Cal State Fullerton took the middle game 4-3 with an eighth-inning rally. The Bulldogs are now 2-4 in one-run games this season, but they've been the away team for all six.
• LeBrun's five-run outing is his longest of the season. His previous best was three innings, which he had gone twice. His six strikeouts Sunday were also a season high and only one off his career best. The junior has not allowed an inherited runner to score yet this season.
• Frost once again tallied two hits on the day, bumping his batting average to .455 (5x11) over the series. Both that and his five hits led the squad. Also a native of Phoenix, Frost drove in two RBIs against the Titans, a number equaled by Jacobs Sunday despite the senior infielder not registering a hit.
• Lardner went three innings in his third career start, allowing three hits and issuing four bases on balls. The Templeton, Calif., native allowed three runs as well, but only the first inning tally was earned. Gonzaga's three starting pitchers at Cal State Fullerton - Lardner, Morgan, and Justin Vernia - combined to throw 18.0 innings and allow just two earned runs for a 1.00 ERA. The three combined for 23 strikeouts, more than half of them coming from Morgan on March 10.

Mac Talk: Thoughts from Gonzaga head coach Mark Mactholf

• "These were three very competitive games. We have to do a better job of taking care of the small things and these one-run games will start going our way."
• "We feel good about our club going forward, we just need to keep getting better each day."

Next Up:

The Zags (6-8) will now head up the coast to San Luis Obispo, Calif., for a single game at Cal Poly. That contest will begin at 6:00 p.m. at Baggett Stadium. RHP Casey Legumina will get the nod for the Bulldogs. Links to live stats and video for that game may be found at www.GoZags.com.