Box Score LUBBOCK, Texas — Gonzaga Baseball dropped the third game of its season-opening series with No. 24 Texas Tech at Rip Griffin Park on Sunday, ultimately falling 12-3 after the Red Raiders plated nine unanswered runs in innings four-six and the Bulldogs couldn't mount a response until late.

Tech racked up 12 hits, including 5 extra base hits and four Tech players with multiple, in the winning effort, forcing the Zags to play from behind for much of the game. A 5-for-5 day from Ty Coleman (3 RBI, 2 2B) and three-hit outing from Gavin Kash led the way.

LHP Bradley Mullan (3.1 IP, 6 H 2 ER, 3 K) helped the Bulldogs (0-3) keep even with Tech through the first three frames, ending the second and third innings with strikeouts before he was chased by a three-run fourth that stretched his pitch count to 80. RHP Jake Rutherford (3.2 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 2 K) got the Zags through the seventh, weathering the worst of the Red Raiders' scoring outburst but tossing a hitless 1-2-3 seventh to calm things down and give the Zags some momentum. A pair of freshman pitchers in LHP Matthew Mueller (0.1 IP, 2 H, 3 ER) and RHP Everett Swaim (0 H, 2 BB) made their GU debuts to close things out.

Enzo Apodaca hit his first homer of the season and Connor Coballes (1-for-3) and Brock Bozett both drew a pair of walks to tide the Zags over on offense, with Dylan Johnson and Tommy Eisenstat (1-for-1, 1 R) both singling in the eighth and ninth frames, respectively, to cue some base traffic for GU. 

The Bulldogs finally got some traction on offense in the seventh after Johnson singled before Pinales was hit by a pitch and Canton was walked in succession with two outs on the board, but a grounder from Johnsen allowed Tech to get out of the frame unscathed. 

After a scoreless bottom of the seventh as Rutherford settled in, they got on the board in the next frame thanks to a home run from Apodaca — his first of the year — to lead off the inning. Tommy Eisenstat singled to lead off the ninth as a pinch hitter and Sterling was hit by a pitch in his first at-bat of the season, and it was Apodaca again who delivered — driving in both runners with a drive to left field warning track that generated an error. Coballes kept the inning alive with a single next, pushing Apodaca to third, before a grounder from McGee ended the game.

Up Next / Follow the Game
Game three of the series begins tomorrow at 11 a.m. PT, with RHP Ty Buckner (16.1 IP, 0-0, 1.10 ERA in 2022) set to get the start on the mound against Texas Tech RHP Trendan Parish (28.1 IP, 2-2, 8.26 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.