LONG BEACH, Calif. — No. 15 Gonzaga baseball battled to a scoreless standstill for eight innings in its series finale with Long Beach State behind another electric start from RHP Trystan Vrieling, but ultimately fell after a ninth-inning surge brought in the deciding run for a series-clinching 1-0 win for the Dirtbags (7-7).
Vrieling struck out nine in a career-high eight frames on the mound, keeping Beach off the board while being tagged for only three hits and a walk. But LBSU RHP Juaron Watt-Brown was just as dominant, holding the Bulldogs (11-4) to one hit in seven frames while striking out seven and inducing seven foulouts to stall any offensive progress.
"Really good pitchers duel today," said GU Head Coach Mark Machtolf. "Vrieling was outstanding. Just couldn't string anything together offensively."
Connor Coballes finished with both of the Zags' hits in the loss, including an eighth-inning single that brought Ezra Samperi to third after the junior catcher reached on a fielding error two at-bats previous. A fielder's choice throw kept the Bulldogs off the board before a decisive ninth that saw Beach's bats bring in the game-winner.
The 'Bags connected on three consecutive singles in the bottom of the ninth to bring in a run from LBSU's Tyler Porter, with a throw to home plate coming too late to keep the game going.
"Not how we wanted to end our preseason segment but overall we have a lot to feel good about from the last 4 weeks and a lot to keep getting better at," Machtolf said. "Looking forward to starting our WCC title defense next weekend"
Series at a Glance
With the loss, Beach takes the series 2-1. This weekend marked the ninth, tenth, and eleventh games between the two programs but first time they have met in a weekend series. This series is also the first time the Zags and Dirtbags have met since 1998. GU is 1-1 in those two games with a 7-3 win in 1996 and a 15-8 loss in 1998.
Up Next
The Bulldogs (11-4) now head to Stockton, Calif. to open West Coast Conference play against Pacific (6-8). Gabriel Hughes is the Zags' probable starter for Friday night's series opener against a to-be-announced thrower from the Tigers.
Follow the Game
Friday's opener is set for a 6 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.
