KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – For the second game in a row, Gonzaga Baseball jumped out to an early 2-0 lead before a huge inning from the Volunteers' (11-2) bats blew things open, handing the Bulldogs (1-10) a 17-9 loss in the series finale.

GU's bats heated up as the game progressed, but pitching miscues allowed the Vols to keep coming up with responses each time the Zags got within striking distance. Brian Kalmer matched a program record with three no-doubters – the most by a Zag in a single game since 2011 – to finish 4-of-5 with 5 RBI, and Donovan Ratfield went 2-of-4 with a double and a homer of his own in his first career start to finish with a pair of RBI.

Savier Pinales added a pair of hits and three other Zags added a knock apiece to round out an 11-hit outing.

After the Zags went up 2-0 in the top of the third thanks to an RBI single from Kalmer and a foulout that gave Pinales time to reach home, the second straight game that GU struck first with a pair of runs.
RHP Nate Deschryver kept UT off the board for the first two frames of his second start of the season, but exited the game after loading the bases with nobody out. RHP Ty Buckner and RHP Reagan Haas finished out the inning, but were tagged for eight runs on five hits, including a grand slam that gave the Vols their first lead.

A sac fly got a run back for GU in the fourth, but a two-run homer from Griffen Merritt pushed the deficit to seven in the bottom of the frame. Kalmer's first homer - a two-run shot that scored himself and Apodaca – threatened again, but the Vols plated two more runs in the fifth and sixth on sac flies of their own. After Kalmer's second bomb, the Zags managed to keep UT off the board in the seventh and cut the lead to four with Ratfield's two-run slam in the top of the eighth, but UT broke the game open by capitalizing on another bases-loaded situation to churn out five more runs and threaten to run rule the Zags. Kalmer's two-out homer in the ninth cut the deficit to eight, but Eisenstat struck out swinging to end the game and seal the Volunteers' series sweep.

Up Next / Follow the Game
The Zags welcome UC Irvine to Patterson Baseball Complex for their first home series of the season next weekend, March 10-12. Live stats and streaming options are available on GoZags.com — follow @ZagBaseball on Instagram and Twitter for live updates, highlights and more.