FULLERTON, Calif. — After a win in the series opener defined by a dominant offensive presence, Gonzaga baseball found itself in a defensive battle in game two, leaning on a strong start from RHP William Kempner and some opportunistic late-game baserunning to clinch the series with a 2-0 shutout win.
Mason Marenco and Savier Pinales scored both of GU's runs in the seventh and eighth off wild pitches, and GU's defense took care of the rest. Behind a shutdown effort from Kempner (four K's) that held the Titans to just two hits in six scoreless frames, GU's infield stitched six double plays — the most in a single game in program history. RHP Owen Wild (1.2 IP, one hit, one walk) and RHP Michael Spellacy (2 IP, two hits) added a strikeout apiece while preserving the shutout through nine. For their late-game efforts, Wild (1-0) earned the win, and Spellacy earned the save.
Tyler Rando went two-for-three to lead the Zags on offense for the second straight game, with Enzo Apodaca and Connor Coballes adding a hit apiece in the winning effort.
"Really nice win tonight, obviously a good performance from all three guys on the mound but we really played elite defense in the infield tonight," said GU Head Coach Mark Machtolf. "Need to have a short memory and be ready to go get another W tomorrow!"
The Action
Kempner and Titans RHP Tyler Stultz battled to a standstill for five innings, but GU's offense began capitalizing on defensive miscues over the final four frames. Coballes and Apodaca began the sixth with consecutive walks and Rando was hit by a pitch to load the bases with two outs and generate the first threatening offensive push of the game, but Titans Stultz struck out Kramer swinging to keep the score knotted.
The Titans responded in kind in the bottom of the inning, loading the bases after a single from Jack Haley and a pair of walks to cue Wild's entry to the game. But Wild induced yet another double play that ended the inning without any damage.
GU finally broke through in the seventh after capitalizing on three wild pitches from CSUF's James Wambold, with Marenco advancing to third and advancing on the miscue for the Zags' first run. Coballes followed that up with a single up the middle, but a groundout from Stephen Lund ended the frame without any more advance.
The Zags doubled their lead in the eighth with more gutsy baserunning. Pinales, pinch running for Rando after he singled, got all the way to third after Grayson Sterling was hit by a pitch and Kramer connected on a sac bunt and scored on a wild pitch.
The Titans picked up hits in the bottom of the eighth and ninth, but GU's fifth and sixth double plays of the night ended both frames without a run on the board.
Play of the Game
Series at a Glance
With the win, the Zags are 3-3 against the Titans all-time, falling 2-1 in a three-game series the last time they squared off in 2017. That series, each game was won by one run – GU won 1-0 in the opener, and CSUF won the next two by scores of 3-4 and 2-3. The Titans went on to make the College World Series that season, their 26th-straight tournament appearance at the time. All six games between the two teams have been played at Goodwin Field in Fullerton.
Next Up
With the series win in hand, GU turns to RHP Trystan Vrieling (0-1, 18.00 ERA) to start on the mound when the Zags go for the sweep in Game Three on Sunday. RHP Christian Rodriguez (0-1, 4.15 ERA) is slated to start for the Titans.
Follow the Game
Sunday's finale is set for a Noon PST start. Live stats and streaming options are available on GoZags.com — follow @zagbaseball on Instagram and Twitter for live updates, highlights and more.
