FULLERTON, Calif. — Gonzaga baseball went into extra innings for the first time this season in its series finale with Cal State Fullerton at Goodwin Field on Sunday, with a tenth-inning RBI from Tyler Rando bringing in the winning run to lift the Bulldogs (6-2) to a 3-2 win and series sweep of the Titans.
A day after putting together a program-record six double plays in game two, the Zags stitched two more on Sunday behind a dominant eight-inning start from RHP Trystan Vrieling, who struck out 11 in that span while allowing just three hits and one earned run.
But it was RHP Michael Spellacy who got the win on the mound, coming in to get the final four outs of the game after a run in the bottom of the ninth tied the game at 2-2. Spellacy came up with a key strikeout to keep the game knotted and force a tenth inning, and held the Titans hitless through the final frame to shut the door on a comeback after GU retook the lead.
"Outstanding win today," said GU Head Coach Mark Machtolf. "Vrieling was really good, and we did enough offensively to dig out a win! Going to enjoy this flight home, and then get busy getting ready for Washington on Tuesday."
Rando went three-for-five with one RBI and a run to lead an eight-hit outing for the Bulldogs, with Jack Machtolf (one run) adding two more and Shea Kramer (one hit, one RBI), Enzo Apodaca and Cade McGee all getting a knock apiece.
The Action
Unlike Saturday's defensive battle when runs didn't come until the seventh, GU got on the board relatively early with the same methodical base-churning offense. Machtolf began the second with a double before a groundout from Connor Coballes pushed him to third, and after Apodaca got on base due to an error, both went for a double steal that got Apodaca to second and yielded the first run of the game from Machtolf. GU added another run in the next frame after Rando connected on a wall-scraping triple that evaded the Titans outfield, and Kramer followed up with a sac fly that got him across to double GU's lead.
Vrieling did his part to keep the momentum going in the bottom of the frame, striking out two straight before inducing a lineout to keep the Titans hitless through three.
After three consecutive outs with balls in play held the Zags scoreless in the fourth, the Titans got one back, with Carter White getting home on a groundout double play after he and Zach Lew picked up the first hits of the game for Fullerton in succession. Vrieling struck out Brendan Bobo in the next at-bat to get out of the frame with the lead still intact.
Fullerton's Jason Brandow singled up the middle to begin the fifth, but a flyout and GU's second double play of the day ended the frame without any further advance. Despite picking up a hit in each frame until the seventh, the Titans kept the Zags off the board through the ninth, picking up an equalizing run on an RBI single from Brendan Bobo to threaten to steal a win in the final frame.
Less than 24 hours after closing out Saturday's win, Spellacy entered the game to keep the Zags alive, striking out Jake Gentry in the next at-bat to strand two Titans runners on base and get GU into the tenth.
After McGee opened the tenth with a single and Savier Pinales entered the game as a pinch runner, a groundout from Ezra Samperi got Pinales to scoring position with one out on the board. After Rando's RBI gave Pinales time to speed home and retake the lead, Rando was thrown out at first and Kramer popped up to prevent the Zags from capitalizing further.
Spellacy continued to keep the Titans hitless through the bottom of the frame, adding one more strikeout and inducing a flyout and a foulout to complete the sweep.
Series at a Glance
With the win, the Zags are now 4-3 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 seven games between the two teams have been played at Goodwin Field in Fullerton, Calif.
Up Next
The Zags head to Seattle, Wash. on Tuesday for a midweek matchup with Washington (4-3) at Husky Ballpark scheduled for a 3:35 p.m. start. Live stats and streaming options are available on GoZags.com — follow @zagbaseball on Instagram and Twitter for live updates, highlights and more.
