OMAHA, Nebraska- Gonzaga Baseball (4-8) split a doubleheader with Creighton (4-7) in a pair of one run games, dropping the first game 2-1 before picking up a 5-4 win in the second matchup on Saturday.
GAME 1
The Zags came up short in the first game despite outhitting Creighton, surrendering two runs on only four hits.
The Bluejays scored the first run of the day in the second inning with a triple from Ben North, who was then driven in on a sacrifice fly. Creighton scored their other run on the game thanks to a solo home run from North in the fourth inning.
Gonzaga were not able to capitalize on six hits in the game, leaving a runner on base in five of the first six innings. The Zags got a run back in the eighth when Ryder Young hit a solo homer, his second home run of the year.
Despite getting tagged with the loss, Zach Bowman was very solid for the Bulldogs in his first start. He pitched all eight innings for Gonzaga, facing 28 batters on only 92 pitches. He had six strikeouts and did not give up any walks. Creighton also got a solid outing from Jack Pineau, who did not give up a run in six innings while striking out six and giving up seven baserunners.
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GAME 2
The Zags bounced back to take the second game thanks to a shutdown outing from the bullpen. Gonzaga gave up three runs across the first three innings before scoring five unanswered runs to take the win.
Another solo home run from North gave Creighton the lead in the second inning. The Blue Jays then added another two runs in the following frame after taking advantage of three walks.
Momentum swung in favor of the Zags in the fourth inning, with three straight hits tying the game thanks to a Ryder Young double. An RBI single from Ricky Sanchez then scored Young to give GU the lead.
Gonzaga got another spectacular outing from Landon Hood, who held Creighton scoreless for five innings. He gave up only two hits and struck out eight batters. Hood still has not given up a run on the season, running his scoreless streak to 16.1 innings. He picked up his second win of the season.
Things got tricky in the bottom of the ninth, as Joe Thornton hit a batter and gave up two singles loaded the bases with no outs. Thornton struck out a batter before allowing a walk to cut the lead to one. A perfectly played double play from Hudson Shupe and Ricky Sanchez then got Gonzaga a double play to escape the jam with the victory. Thornton picked up his first save of the year.
The Zags will look to take the rubber match on Sunday, with first pitch currently scheduled for 11am Pacific time.
