SPOKANE, Wash. – No. 19 Gonzaga's rally fell short in its home opener with Oregon Tuesday afternoon at Patterson Baseball Complex and Steve Hertz Field, with the Ducks coming away with a 9-5 midweek win.
Oregon (14-6) put up 8 of its nine runs in the first four frames before the Bulldogs (14-5) could catch up, despite a two-RBI double from
Enzo Apodaca in the first frame that tied the game up at 2-all. The Zags cut the deficit to 8-5 after
Shea Kramer reached home on a passed ball and loaded the bases in the final inning, but a double play ended the game without GU getting any closer.
Freshman
Cade McGee got the start on the bump for the Zags while also appearing as a designated hitter, throwing 3.1 frames with 3 K's while going 2-for-3 with 2 RBI and 2 runs, including a solo homer in the seventh that cut Oregon's lead to 8-4. LHP
Bradley Mullan threw 3.2 innings after and struck out two more while holding the Ducks scoreless over his final three frames on the mound, and RHP
Alec Gomez closed the game with a hitless ninth.
Five Zags finished with multiple hits to round out an 11-hit outing –
Tyler Rando (1 run), McGee, Kramer (1 run), Apodaca (2 RBI) and
Ezra Samperi (1 run).
"Tough one today, we let it get away from us early in the ballgame," said GU Head Coach
Mark Machtolf. "I thought our guys did a good job of battling and gave ourselves a chance in the 9th bringing the tying run to the plate. Back at it Thursday in Provo."
Play of the Game
Apodaca drives in two runs to tie the game in the first, does the customary shovel celebration.
Series at a Glance
Gonzaga has faced Pac-12 opponents numerous times over the years — 570 times to be exact. Against current members of the conference, the Zags carry a 219-350-1 record. Of the 12 current member institutions, GU has faced Washington State the most with an 88-126 overall record in the series. The next opponent the Zags have played the most out of the Pac-12 is Washington with 141 meetings between the two programs with the most recent meeting coming April 20, 2021 at Washington, a 3-0 shutout win in favor of Gonzaga.
Overall, the Bulldogs are 2-18 against the Ducks since 2010, with both wins coming in 2016. GU faced Oregon twice last season – once in a midweek matchup on May 18, 2021 and again as part of the Eugene Regional on June 5. This is the first time Oregon has played against the Zags in Spokane since 2016, with GU set to travel to Eugene again for round two on May 17.
Up Next / Follow the Game
The Zags hit the road again this weekend for a three-game series with BYU that starts Thursday at 5 p.m. Live stats and streaming options are available on GoZags.com — follow @zagbaseball on Instagram and Twitter for live updates, highlights and more.
