Box Score SPOKANE, Wash. – Gonzaga Baseball secured its third straight West Coast Conference series win in its finale with BYU at Patterson Baseball Complex on Saturday night, getting shutdown outings on the mound from RHP
Nathan Deschryver and RHP
Ty Buckner and a three-hit night from
Donovan Ratfield en route to a 8-2 win.
For the time being, the Bulldogs (11-14, 7-2 WCC) are now in sole possession of first place in the league standings, half a game ahead of Portland (16-10, 6-2) and LMU (13-11, 6-2). They're winners of 12 straight WCC series dating back to last season.
Deschryver held the Cougars (9-17, 3-6) to just two earned runs while striking out a career-high 10 in five frames of work, walking four in the first two innings but only giving out one free pass throughout the rest of his time on the mound while picking up his third win of the season. Buckner earned his first save with four innings of scoreless relief, notching another career-high with eight strikeouts of his own. GU's 18 punchouts tonight are the most in a single game so far this season.
Seven different Bulldogs picked up at least one hit and six drove in runs to round out a balanced nine-hit outing, led by a 3-for-5 night from
Donovan Ratfield (2 R, 1 RBI) in the DH spot that included a double and his second homer of the season.
Enzo Apodaca finished with a team-high two RBI, with
Brian Kalmer (1 R),
Sam Stem (1 R) and
Brock Bozett all adding one apiece.
Ezra Samperi scored two runs after snapping a six-game hitless streak.
The Zags look to keep rolling in WCC action next week with another three-game home series, this time with San Diego (10-14-1, 4-4). Thursday's series opener is set for an 8 p.m. start, and will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU.
SERIES AT A GLANCE
- With the win, Gonzaga is 29-22 against BYU since 2000 and 20-15 in conference games against the Cougars since they joined the WCC in 2012, having won four straight series dating back to 2019.
-Their last meeting was a 2-1 series win for the Zags, who fell in the opener but won 6-3 and 9-4 in the next two games to clinch the series.
- The Zags are 15-6 against BYU at home since 2000.
THE ACTION
After allowing the first three batters he faced to reach base with a double sandwiched between walks, Deschryver responded with three consecutive punchouts to nullify the advantage. In his first three at-bats, the redshirt freshman righty threw eight balls and five strikes before throwing only two balls and nine strikes in the next three.
Kalmer provided the Zags' first base knock of the game in the bottom of the frame, pushing Coballes to third after he reached on an error to lead things off. Stem came through next, driving the first pitch he saw through middle right field to plate Coballes and get Kalmer to third with one out on the board. Bozett followed with GU's third single of the day to load the bases, and Pinales brought in another with a sac fly.
Deschryver struck out his fourth consecutive batter to lead off the second, but another double – this time from Easton Jones – put a runner in scoring position again. But he got out of trouble again regardless, striking out Alex Sardina swinging and generating a popup to end the frame with BYU still scoreless.
Ratfield extended GU's lead quickly to start off the bottom of the second with his second homer of the year, and the Zags got another runner in scoring position after Coballes drove a single to right and Kalmer drew a two-out walk before Stem grounded out to strand them both.
The Cougars were finally retired in order in the third thanks to two more K's from Deschryver, and he followed suit with another hitless frame in the fourth, cracking nine on the day.
GU mounted more pressure in the next frame, with Ratfield connecting on his second extra base hit with a deep double and Samperi snapping a six-game hitless streak with a single. Up next, Apodaca brought in three more runs with a massive triple to center that generated a thrown-away ball. The Zags kept rolling, churning out a fourth run thanks to Stem reaching on an error and Bozett doubling him home.
BYU finally got to Deschryver in the fifth thanks to a two-run bomb from Cole Gambill, but he responded with two quick outs to keep things moving. GU plated one more in their next opportunity, loading the bases and churning out a run with a walk from Kalmer.
Buckner took over in the sixth, allowing a pair of runners aboard with a single and a walk but striking out the next one swinging before inducing a force out at second and a grounder at first to get out unscathed. He settled in for the next frame after GU came up empty, striking out six more while keeping BYU off the board through the rest of the game to put the finishing touches on another crucial series win at home.
PLAY OF THE GAME
UP NEXT / FOLLOW THE GAME
Thursday's series opener with USD at Coach Steve Hertz Field at Patterson Baseball Complex is set for an 8 p.m. first pitch, and will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU. Live stats and streaming options are available on GoZags.com — follow @ZagBaseball on Instagram and Twitter for live updates, highlights and more.
