LUBBOCK, Texas — Gonzaga Baseball took an early lead with some offensive firepower in the first three frames of its Season Opener against No. 24 Texas Tech on Friday at Rip Griffin Park, but the Red Raiders produced seven unanswered runs to knock off the Bulldogs, 8-4.
In his first game in a Zags uniform, reigning NJCAA Player of the Year
Brian Kalmer slammed a massive two-run bomb to push GU's lead to 4-1 in the third, but the Zags couldn't get another runner across through the rest of nine innings while Tech gradually built a lead despite GU getting a runner on base in every inning except the eighth.
Preseason All-American RHP
Owen Wild went 4 ⅓ frames in the start, striking out five while being tagged for five runs on six hits. RHP
Reagan Haas (2 ⅔ IP) and
Jeff Nelson (1 IP) held the Red Raiders to three runs through the rest of the game, with Haas picking up a pair of strikeouts in his first appearance since 2021.
Cade McGee (2-for-4, 2 R) and
Connor Coballes (2-for-3) both picked up a pair of hits to lead the Zags on offense, with Apodaca (1 R) and Kalmer (1 R, 2 RBI) rounding out the lineup.
The four-game series will continue tomorrow, with Game Two set for an 11 a.m. PT start.
The Action
The Zags jumped on Tech starter Kyle Robinson early, scoring a pair of runs in the top of the first to take the first lead of the game. Apodaca connected on a leadoff triple before Pinales followed up with an RBI grounder that scored the first run. McGee singled up the middle in the next at-bat, and Kalmer drew a walk on a 3-2 count to push him to second before Bozett hit a line drive that forced a Tech error to bring McGee across and double the advantage.
Tech put up a run in response in the bottom of the frame, with Kevin Bazell doubling and A Green reaching on an error to bring in the Red Raiders' first run. Pinales, Coballes and Kalmer came up with a double play to end the frame with the lead intact.
After a scoreless second, GU put two more runs on the board with a massive two-run slam from Kalmer — the first homer of the year for GU and Kalmer's first in a Zag uniform — to go up 4-1 after McGee connected on his second single of the day to start the third. The junior first baseman's homer sailed 460 feet over center field to double GU's output.
But Tech came up with a response yet again, with Austin Green slamming a homer of his own to yield three runs and tie things up at 4-all. After a pair of singles put the lead in jeopardy, Wild struck out Hudson White looking and induced a grounder to keep things even heading into the fourth.
McGee reached first for the third time of the game in the fifth and stole second, but a pair of flyouts kept the Zags from putting another run on the board. Wild weathered the Red Raiders's fourth extra base hit of the day to open the bottom of the frame, picking up his fourth strikeout of the day on G Harrelson and inducing a double play ball that ended the inning.
RHP
Reagan Haas entered the game in relief in the fifth — his first appearance since starting against Tech at the same field in 2021. Gavin Kash gave TTU their first lead of the game with a two-run bomb, but Haas struck out White swinging and another grounder kept the deficit at two.
Despite Coballes reaching first for the third time in the sixth, Tech stifled another Zags push with their second double play of the day. As Haas settled in, tossing a hitless bottom of the frame with his second K, Tech put one more on the board to extend the lead to three in the seventh and leave the Zags with work to do over the final two frames. RHP
Jeff Nelson came in for Haas to close, allowing one more run on a flyout from Nolen Hester.
After a popup from Coballes left GU with two outs left,
Ezra Samperi reached on an error and advanced to on a flyout before Pinales grounded out to end the game.
Play of the Game
Notes
- Haas' appearance was his first since March 9, 2021, when he got the start against Texas Tech in a 5-4 loss at Rip Griffin Park and exited with an injury.
- For the first four innings, every GU leadoff batter reached base — Apodaca tripled, Coballes singled, McGee singled and Coballes singled again. GU had at least one runner reach base in every frame except the eighth. McGee and Coballes reached first safely in their first three at-bats each.
Up Next / Follow the Game
Game two of the series begins tomorrow at 11 a.m. PT, with RHP Nate Deschryver (DNP in 2022) set to get the start on the mound against Texas Tech LHP Mason Molina (57.2 IP, 2-5, 3.90 ERA in 2022). Live stats and streaming options are available on GoZags.com — follow @ZagBaseball on Instagram and Twitter for live updates, highlights and more.
