PORTLAND, Ore. – Gonzaga Baseball got within one thanks to another multi-run homer from
Tommy Eisenstat and a solid relief performance from RHP Nathan DeSchryver in the second game of its West Coast Conference series with Portland at Joe Etzel Field on Saturday, but ultimately couldn't catch up after two more runs in the sixth from the Pilots (21-17, 10-7) in a series-tying 7-4 loss.
UP's win moves them into a tie with the Bulldogs (14-21, 10-7) for second place in the league standings. The two teams will square off in Sunday's rubber match with the series on the line, set for a 1 p.m. start. GU, which dropped series to San Diego and LMU the last two weekends, hasn't lost three WCC series in a row since 2010, and are winners of seven straight series against the Pilots.
LHP
Matthew Mueller was tagged for five runs over two innings on the mound – the last four of which came on a pair of home runs in the second and third innings. DeSchryver took over from there, pitching the rest of the game while holding the Pilots to two earned runs on a sixth-inning RBI double. Mueller struck out two during his time on the mound while walking two more, while DeSchryver struck out three and walked two.
Enzo Apodaca finished with two hits and a walk to lead a five-hit effort for GU, with
Tommy Eisenstat homering for the second game in a row to drive in three runs on one hit.
Savier Pinales (1 RBI) and
Grayson Sterling added a hit each.
Gonzaga put the first run on the board thanks to a sac fly from Pinales that got Stem – who was walked and advanced to third on a single from Sterling – home, but the Pilots responded with a pair of multi-run homers over the next two innings that put them up 5-1.
Eisenstat's three-run bomb gave GU some life in the fifth, but a trio of Pilots relievers held the Zags hitless through the rest of the game and Nich Klemp's two-run double in the seventh provided some insurance late.
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Sunday's rubber match is set for a 1 p.m. first pitch, with RHP
Jacob Rutherford (4.78 ERA, 3-0, 43.1 IP, 36 K) set to start on the mound against Portland RHP Nick Brink (2-0, 2.16 ERA, 25.0 IP, 25 K). Live stats and streaming options are available on GoZags.com — follow @ZagBaseball on Instagram and Twitter for live updates, highlights and more.