LOS ANGELES — In the final meeting of its three-game West Coast Conference stand with LMU Sunday afternoon, Gonzaga's offense kicked into a gear it hadn't seen at Page Baseball Stadium all weekend -- racking up 18 total hits, the Zags had the Lions in a 10-0 hole by the third frame and maintained defensive pressure that kept them scoreless until the ninth to leave L.A. with a 14-2 win.
The Bulldogs (13-10, 4-2 WCC) got significant contributions from all over the order, with leadoff hitter
Ernie Yake going 3-for-3 with three runs and three RBI while
Mason Marenco knocked a team-high four hits to go with two runs and two more RBI at No. 9.
Brett Harris (two runs, three RBI) finished with three hits as well, and six other Zags picked up at least one as GU returned to its winning ways following a two-game skid against the Lions that snapped its previous five-game win streak.
"Not the result we were looking for down in L.A. this weekend but happy to get away with a win today," said Head Coach
Mark Machtolf. "Lots of big offensive performances today to set the tone. Looking forward to getting home and playing in front of our fans this weekend."
The Zags went with a four-man throwing crew that kept the Lions (9-13, 2-4 WCC) off the board until the final frame, finishing with a 66.7 strike percentage and leaving 12 runners stranded on base. Starter
William Kempner (2.0 IP) and reliever
Alec Gomez (4.0 IP) each had three K's apiece while GU's batters were running away with the game. RHP
Michael Spellacy and
Brody Jessee closed the final three innings to preserve the win.
GU batters finished 11-of-18 with runners in scoring position despite only loading the bases twice, picking up multiple runs in each of the first four innings to race out to a 12-0 lead.
Tyler Rando got it started in the first with a bases-loaded single that sent Yake home, and
Stephen Lund flew out to left field to earn a run from Harris that made it a 2-0 lead. Despite a mid-inning pitching change from LMU, five more runs came in the second off singles from Yake and
Andrew Orzel, a double from Harris and a wild pitch that got Marenco home.
The Bulldogs kept the rhythm going in the third -- Marenco hit the only triple of the game for a score from
Jack Machtolf and Harris and Lund driving in two more to put GU up by double digits with LMU still scoreless. In the next frame, Lund doubled down the left field to score Orzel and a throwing error got him home to tack two more runs onto that total.
Leading by a dozen in the sixth, Marenco singled and Yake flew out again for runs No. 13 and 14 from Orzel and Lund. LMU's Evan Libel and Matthew Piotrowski both hit RBI singles in the ninth to narrowly avoid the shutout.
Next Up
Gonzaga begins its first home WCC series on Thursday with three games against Pacific at Patterson Baseball Complex and Coach Steve Hertz Field. The Tigers (7-14, 0-6 WCC) are on a six-game skid after series sweeps by Portland and San Diego.
Follow the Game
Thursday's and Friday's matchups are set for a 6 p.m. start, with Saturday's at 2 p.m. Live streaming will be available via the WCC Network. Check GoZags.com for up-to-date game information and live stats.
