SURPRISE, Ariz. – Gonzaga baseball gave up six runs in the eighth inning of a tie game to drop its season opener to BYU on Friday night at the Sanderson Ford College Baseball Classic in Surprise, Ariz.
 
Playing West Coast Conference foe BYU (1-0) in a non-conference matchup, the game lived up to the high-level expectations with a tie score through seven innings. But it was the Cougars that opened it up with a six-run eighth without an answer from GU (0-1).

"We had some positive takeaways from the first game, especially encouraged by Mac Lardner," head coach Mark Machtolf said. "The biggest thing for us is bouncing back and getting ready to give Oregon State our best shot tomorrow."
 
Gonzaga starter Mac Lardner was on top of his game to start the season for the Zags, striking out nine in 6.0 shutout innings to keep the Cougars at bay. He allowed just one hit and walked just two.
 
Junior Tyler Rando led the way at the plate with two hits in his first game as a Zag, while Mason Marenco, Stephen Lund and Gabriel Hughes each had a single.
 
Gonzaga's offense was slow to get going against BYU starter Justin Sterner. After the Cougars got a solo homer off of GU reliever Daniel Naughton in the top of the seventh, Gonzaga got going in the bottom of the inning. Three singles led to a run for the Zags with the RBI coming from Mason Marenco to tie it 1-1.
 
In the eighth, BYU got to the Gonzaga bullpen in a big way, hanging six runs on the board on five hits and three walks.
 
GU went in order in the eighth and ninth to end the night without a rally.
 
Gonzaga will face Oregon State on Saturday at 1 p.m. PT/2 p.m. MT in the Sanderson Ford College Baseball Classic in Surprise, Ariz. Links to live coverage are available at GoZags.com.