SURPRISE, Ariz. — Gonzaga baseball got a great start from
Justin Blatner and hung on down the stretch to beat Minnesota 6-5 and leave Surprise, Arizona, with a win on Monday afternoon.
Blatner was masterful for the Zags, allowing just two runs (zero earned) on one hit with 11 strikeouts and just one walk in 6.0 innings of work.
On offense, first baseman
Brett Harris reached three times with a pair of singles and an HBP, scored twice and knocked in one.
Ernie Yake broke through as well with two hits and three RBI from the leadoff spot.
Troy Johnston had two hits and an RBI, and
Isaac Barrera scored twice and stole a base.
Minnesota jumped on the board with two unearned runs in the first inning after a pair of uncharacteristic Zag errors, but GU went on to score the next six runs.
In the third, GU manufactured three runs on three hits, starting things with a leadoff walk by Barrera. He was doubled home by Harris, and then back-to-back singles by
Carson Breshears and Yake pushed Harris across to tie the score. After a sacrifice bunt from
Josh Bristyan, Breshears scored from third on a sac fly off the bat of
Austin Pinorini.
One inning later, GU added to the lead with three more. This time,
Ryan Sullivan was hit by a pitch to start the inning and
Troy Johnston's doubled scored him from first. Yake then came up with two outs and the bases loaded and knocked home two more with a single to make it 6-2 Zags.
Meanwhile, Blatner continued to stifle the Minnesota offense keeping them hitless after a leadoff single in the second until his day was done after the sixth.
Minnesota came back with two in the seventh off reliever
Matthew Henckel to close within two, but GU's
Taylor Davis entered to get GU out of the inning and then through the eighth. The Gophers managed one off of Davis to start the ninth, but
Nick Trogrlic-Iverson got a pair of outs and
Trent Schulte set the final batter down swinging to get the save.
Gonzaga heads to CSU Northridge this weekend for four games in three days, starting on Friday at 2 p.m. Links to live coverage will be available at GoZags.com.
