CORVALLIS, Ore. — No. 12 Gonzaga put up four quick runs in the first frame against No. 2 Oregon State and slowed the Beavers' bats after they put up seven runs in response, but the Bulldogs (24-10) couldn't get back on the board en route to a 9-4 loss that splits the two-game midweek series at a win apiece.
Cade McGee slammed a solo homer and Savier Pinales (1 run, 1 RBI) picked up two hits to lead seven different Zag batters who got at least a knock. Jack Machtolf and Shea Kramer (1 run) both drove in a run apiece – all in the first frame.
LHP Bradley Mullan (1-1) struck out four in 2 ⅓ frames on the mound, but was tagged for six earned runs on six hits in that span while walking five for his first loss of the season. RHP Brody Jessee (2.1 IP), Alec Gomez (2 IP) and Kai Francis (1 IP) all relieved, with all three allowing a run apiece and Jessee and Francis adding a strikeout each.
The Action
The Zags set the tone on the offensive end immediately with a four-spot in the first frame — all with two outs on the board. McGee got the scoring started with a solo homer – his fifth of the season — and after Grayson Sterling followed up with a single, Kramer and Pinales both connected on back-to-back extra base hits to yield a pair of runs. Jack Machtolf followed up with an RBI single that scored PInales before a fielder's choice ended the frame.
After both the Beavers and Zags went hitless over the next two half-innings, OSU found a response in the bottom of the second, putting up four runs to equalize off a pair of RBI doubles from Gavin Logan and Matthew Gretler before run-scoring singles from Paul Myro IV and Justin Boyd.
Jessee came within a strike of ending the inning without any damage before walking xx to load the bases, but OSU's third RBI double of the day — this time from Wade Meckler — yielded three runs to lift the Beavs to a 7-4 lead.
Pinales reached scoring position after getting to first on a throwing error and stealing second in the ensuing frame, but a lineout from Ezra Samperi that became a double play dampened the Zags' opportunity before a groundout from Jaxon Sorenson ended the frame without any change.
Jessee settled in with a pair of hitless frames in the fourth and fifth to calm the Beavers' bats before Gomez took over in the sixth, when a two-out RBI single from Garret Forrester yielded the eighth run of the game for OSU, stretching the lead to four. Gomez kept OSU off the board in the seventh before Francis took over in the eighth, giving up a solo homer from Boyd but striking out Melton and inducing a flyout to end the frame.
Follow the Game / Up Next
The Zags resume conference play this weekend on the road at ninth-place Saint Mary's (21-16, 5-10), looking to retain a two-game lead in the WCC standings over San Diego and LMU. Live stats and streaming options are available on GoZags.com — follow @zagbaseball on Instagram and Twitter for live updates, highlights and more.
