Box Score PHOENIX, Ariz. – Gonzaga Baseball found itself in a slugfest in its second game with Grand Canyon Saturday afternoon at Brazell Field, going ahead by five runs in the eighth thanks to back-to-back home runs from
Cade McGee and
Brian Kalmer but ultimately falling 17-16 after a six-spot in the bottom of the frame and a double play to open the ninth from the Lopes (5-2) kept GU from mustering a response.
The Bulldogs (1-6) finished with 19 hits as a team – the most since May 14, 2021 – with six different Zags recording multiple knocks. Kalmer (4-for-6, 5 RBI, 2 R) smacked two doubles and a homer and
Enzo Apodaca (2-for-4, 4 RBI, 4 R) drove in all four of his runs on singles, never striking out.
Connor Coballes (3-for-5, 2R) and
Tommy Eisenstat (3-for-5, 2 RBI, 1 R) both picked up three knocks each, and
Cade McGee (2-for-5, 3 RBI, 1 R) added his third homer of the weekend.
After falling behind 5-0, GU got a leadoff runner aboard in each of the last seven innings, getting runners across in five of them while retaking the lead three times. But the Lopes ultimately struck last with four hits and three free passes via either HBP or walks in the bottom of the eighth.
Gonzaga will face Ohio State for its final game of the weekend at 11 a.m. PT tomorrow.
The Action
GU got on the board in the next frame with some small ball – Apodaca drew a walk and stole second before Kalmer got him across with an RBI double.
After starting LHP
Bradley Mullan had to weather a five-run first and a pair of singles in the second, RHP
Nate Weeldreyer entered the game with runners on first and second and one out on the board, throwing one pitch that induced an inning-ending infield fly.
The Zags pounced on GCU reliever Jacob Martinez in the fourth, loading the bases and squeezing out six runs — five of which with two outs – to take their first lead of the game. Samperi singled, Griggs drew a walk and Coballes singled in succession before Apodaca was hit by a pitch to churn out the first run and keep the bases loaded with one out. McGee struck out in the next AB to limit the Zags' scoring options, but Kalmer and Eisenstat both connected on clean RBI base hits in succession and Kalmer got across on a wild pitch in the next at-bat to bring in four more runs and retake the lead. Samperi followed with his second single of the inning to push Eisenstat across and extend the lead to two before Johnson grounded out to end the frame.
The Lopes mounted a response and retook the lead with a four spot just as quickly, with an RBI double and a wild pitch scoring a pair of runs to tie before a sac fly and a blooper single putting GCU up two before Deschryver entered the game and induced a fly ball to center.
But GU kept up the pressure in the fifth with Griggs connecting on a leadoff single – the third time of the game that he'd gotten on base – and Coballes following suit with a single of his own. A fielder's choice knock from Apodaca made it one out with runners on the corners, and McGee connected on a single that got Griggs across to cut the deficit to one before a double play cut the rally short.
A two-run homer in the bottom of the frame extended the Lopes' lead to three, but RHP Nate Deschryver induced a grounder and a popup in succession to keep it there.
Eisenstat led off the sixth with a single, but Stem and Samperi both grounded out – with Stem's grounder becoming a double play ball – to keep GU off the board for the first time since the third inning. Deschryver managed to return the favor in kind in the bottom of the frame though, inducing the first two outs before a grounder to first got him out of a jam with a runner on third.
GU got a runner on base to lead off the inning for the fifth consecutive inning in the top of the seventh when Johnson was hit by a pitch, with Coballes doubling to push him to third with one out the heart of the order up next. Apodaca and Kalmer both came through with RBI knocks – Kalmer's being his second double of the day – to tie up the game. Eisenstat picked up a single in his third consecutive at-bat to push Kalmer to third again, but Stem struck out to keep the score knotted.
The Bulldogs kept the Lopes off the board again next, with Apodaca corralling a fly ball and Griggs making an impressive play to get the second out before Nelson took the mound and induced another ball to center field for the first 1-2-3 inning of the day for GU.
Samperi wore a pitch and
Dylan Johnson were walked to again create a favorable leadoff position for GU, forcing GCU to turn to closer Tyson Heaton with nobody out in the eighth. Griggs laid down a well-executed bunt to move the runners forward and Coballes popped up for the first two outs, but Apodaca, McGee and Kalmer all yielded a total of five runs, with Apodaca singling and McGee and Kalmer both slamming homers back to back to put GU up 16-11.
The Lopes' late surge came with three hits and a walk to open the frame, yielding three runs to cut GU's lead to one. Replacing RHP
Jeff Nelson on the mound, freshman LHP
Matthew Mueller snapped out of a rocky start with a pair of strikeouts, but the Lopes managed to equalize on an RBI single that cued fellow freshman Everrett Swaim's entry to the game. A wild pitch and a throwing error churned out the go-ahead run before Swaim could induce the grounder to end things, and the Bulldogs were retired in order after a double play to start the ninth diminished their hopes of a response.
Play of the Game
Up Next
The Bulldogs are set to face Ohio State again tomorrow at 11 a.m., with a to-be-determind GU pitcher set to take the mound vs. OSU LHP Gavin Bruni (3.1 IP, 0-0, 5.40 ERA)). Live stats and streaming options are available on GoZags.com — follow @ZagBaseball on Instagram and Twitter for live updates, highlights and more.
