KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Gonzaga Baseball led through five innings of its second game with No. 3 Tennessee after a two-run second and a career outing from RHP Jake Rutherford, but failed to get back on the board before another late surge from the Vols (10-2) sunk the Bulldogs' (1-9) hopes of tying up the series, with GU falling 2-7.
Rutherford put up a career performance in his first start, holding UT to just two earned runs through a career-high six frames of work while striking out a career-high six and walking three. The senior righty kept the Vols scoreless in four of those frames despite nine runners on base, keeping the Bulldogs even after a solo homer tied things up in the sixth by ending his time on the mound with a strikeout. RHP Chase Burns was just as effective after the Zags' early two-spot, striking out eight and holding GU to five hits in his time on the bump.
But after Rutherford exited the game, the Vols jumped on the Zags' bullpen, plating five runs in the fifth on a pair of homers after tying things up with a solo shot in the sixth.
Six different Bulldogs recorded a hit each, with
Savier Pinales,
Grayson Sterling,
Enzo Apodaca and
Sam Canton all hitting doubles. Canton's two-bagger drove in both of GU's runs.
"Kudos to him, man," said Tennessee Head Coach Tony Vitello when prompted about Canton's performance after only starting four games on the season. "When the coach gives you an opportunity, you get in there and you take advantage of it."
RHP
Payton Graham struck out five in two innings of relief, but was tagged for a pair of homers in the seventh that yielded a total of five runs to change the complexion of the game entirely.
The series finale is set for 10 a.m. (PT) tomorrow.
The Action
Rutherford got into some early trouble in the bottom of the first, allowing a pair of singles to lead off the frame and walking the bases loaded with two outs, but he struck out the next two batters he faced to get out unscathed.
Eisenstat stayed hot after a three-hit outing the night prior, driving a single through the gaps and reaching third after Sterling smacked a double that was fumbled in the outfield. Stem struck out next, but Canton roped another double into left field that scored them both and put GU up 2-0. Another well-struck drive by Samperi was corralled for a flyout to end the frame.
Rutherford kept things tight in the bottom of the frame, holding the Vols hitless with just one walk, and repeated the feat after a Zags 3-and-out in the top of the third. The righty continued to get out of risky situations over the rest of his time on the mound, turning a double play to end the fourth and a strike-em-out-throw-em-out play to end the fifth.
Kyle Booker slammed a solo homer on a 3-2 count in the bottom of the sixth to tie things up, but Rutherford picked up his sixth strikeout of the day to keep things tied.
After another fruitless inning at the plate to start the seventh, Graham took the mound in relief, striking out his first batter but walking two in a row to set up the Vols' three-run homer. Another walked batter became fodder for another homer from Griffin Merritt to put UT up five, leaving GU with six outs to make something happen.
Pinales doubled in the eighth and Graham struck out three more in his final frame of relief, but GU couldn't get on base again before running out of outs to end the game.
Up Next / Follow the Game
This weekend's series finale is set for a 10 a.m. (PT) start tomorrow. Live stats and streaming options are available on GoZags.com — follow @ZagBaseball on Instagram and Twitter for live updates, highlights and more.
