Gonzaga University
18-29
Oklahoma
28-22
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 19 | 20 | 2 |
| Gonzaga | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 12 | 17 | 3 |
Zags Rally Falls Short in Game Two With Oklahoma
5/13/2023 10:12:00 PM | Baseball
RHP Jacob Rutherford (3.2 IP, 9 H, 8 ER, 2 BB, 5 K) retired four of the first five he faced, but was chased from the game after the Sooners put up eight runs on eight hits over the third and fourth frames to take an 8-2 lead. RHP Kai Francis (1.0 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 5 BB, 0 K), RHP Payton Graham (2.2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K), RHP Jeff Nelson (0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K) and RHP Nate Weeldreyer (3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K) pitched the rest of the game by committee.
The Zags picked up 17 hits – the most in a single game since March 17 against USF (18), with Brian Kalmer (3 R, 1 RBI) going 4-for-6 with a pair of doubles and a grand slam and Enzo Apodaca (3 R, 2 RBI), Grayson Sterling (1 R, 1 RBI) and Donovan Ratfield (1 RBI) adding two more apiece. Five other Zags picked up at least a base knock each.
Rutherford set the tone early with back-to-back strikeouts on the top of OU's order, following with a first-pitch groundout for a quick 1-2-3 inning. The Zags' bats kept things rolling in the bottom of the frame, matching their run output from Friday's series opener with two runs on three hits. After Apodaca singled, Kalmer drove a double deep into the left field corner that got him all the way home from first. A flyout gave Kalmer time to reach third, and he scored GU's second run on a single that Samperi dropped into center field. Eisenstat got aboard after being hit by a pitch, but was stranded on another deep fly – this time from Marenco.
Apodaca's solo shot in the bottom of the fifth broke up a three-inning dry spell after OU went up 12-2, and the Zags plated two more off of RBI singles from Ratfield – who replaced Samperi the prior inning – and Sterling, who was pinch hitting for Eisenstat.
Down 19-5, GU mounted a furious rally with just three outs left in the game, with seven consecutive batters reaching base successfully – capped off by a massive grand slam from Kalmer that cut the deficit to seven – but OU reliever Carson Atwood finally found the requisite outs to end the game, with a fielder's choice, a strikeout and a grounder in succession.
UP NEXT / FOLLOW THE ACTION
Gonzaga will honor 13 seniors playing their final home game ahead of Sunday's series finale, set for a 3 p.m. first pitch. Tomorrow's matchup will be televised locally via SWX, with live stats and streaming options available on GoZags.com — follow @ZagBaseball on Instagram and Twitter for live updates, highlights and more.
Players Mentioned
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Carmichael, Braden (6-0)
L: Rutherford, Jacob (4-2)
Batting:
2B: Madron, Bryce 1 ; Harris, Dakota 1 ; Nicklaus, Jackson 1 ; Garza-Gongora, Rocco 1
HR: Mackenzie, Anthony 1
RBI: Mackenzie, Anthony 3 ; Madron, Bryce 4 ; Harris, Dakota 2 ; Spikerman, John 2 ; Muniz, Diego 1 ; Nicklaus, Jackson 1 ; Garza-Gongora, Rocco 3
SH: Orduno, Sebastian 1
SF: Madron, Bryce 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Mackenzie, Anthony 2 ; Clark, Wallace 2 ; Madron, Bryce 2 ; Pettis, Kendall 1 ; Spikerman, John 1 ; Carmichael, Easton 1 ; Nicklaus, Jackson 4 ; Orduno, Sebastian 2 ; Garza-Gongora, Rocco 4
SB: Pettis, Kendall 1
HBP: Pettis, Kendall 1 ; Spikerman, John 1
Batting:
2B: Kalmer, Brian 2 ; Sterling, Grayson 1
HR: Apodaca, Enzo 1 ; Kalmer, Brian 1
RBI: Coballes, Connor 1 ; Apodaca, Enzo 2 ; Kalmer, Brian 5 ; Samperi, Ezra 1 ; Ratfield, Donovan 1 ; Sterling, Grayson 1 ; Pinales, Savier 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Coballes, Connor 1 ; Apodaca, Enzo 3 ; Kalmer, Brian 3 ; Stem, Sam 1 ; Sterling, Grayson 1 ; Marenco, Mason 1 ; Johnson, Dylan 1 ; Pinales, Savier 1
HBP: Eisenstat, Tommy 1 ; Pinales, Savier 1
