Gonzaga Baseball Treks to South Alabama for Series

[TerpZag]

Baseball Treks to South Alabama for Series

GU and Jaguars begin series Friday afternoon

Gonzaga (2-6) at South Alabama (5-5)
Feb. 28-March 1 | Mobile, Ala. | Stanky Field
Live Stats | Live Video: Friday | Saturday (No Live Feed) | Sunday

Probable Starting Pitchers
Fri., Feb. 28 | 4:30 p.m. PT/6:30 p.m. CT
USA - RHP Drake Nightengale (0-0, 3.27 ERA)
GU - LHP Mac Lardner (0-1, 3.27 ERA)

Sat., Feb. 29 | 12 p.m. PT/1 p.m. CT
USA - RHP Miles Smith (0-1, 9.00 ERA)
GU - RHP Alek Jacob (0-1, 5.59 ERA)

Sun., March 1 | 9 a.m. PT/11 a.m. CT
USA - RHP JoJo Booker (1-1, 5.62 ERA)
GU - RHP Nick Trogrlic-Iverson (0-2, 7.36 ERA)

All-time vs. the Jaguars
- Gonzaga is 0-1 all-time against South Alabama with the lone game coming in a 9-7 Jaguars win in 2005 at the Surprise Coca-Cola Tournament in Surprise, Ariz.

Last Time Out
- Gonzaga dropped all four games at red-hot then-No. 7 Arkansas in a series in Fayetteville, Ark.
- The Zags kept it close in game one in a 7-5 loss, but the Razorbacks pitching staff kept GU's bats at bay throughout the series.
- Stephen Lund hit .385 for the series and Brett Harris hit .313, each with five hits.
- Harris, Tyler Rando and Gabriel Hughes each drove in three runs, while Ernie Yake scored a team-high four times in the series.

Surprise Opening Weekend
- The Zags went 2-2 in an up-and-down opening weekend that featured a lot of new faces.
- Ten total players, including seven pitchers made their Gonzaga debuts over the four games in Surprise.
- GU defeated No. 25 Oregon State once (in two meetings) and took their single game against New Mexico, while dropping the opener to BYU.
- The end to GU's win over New Mexico came in wild walk-off fashion: after losing a 2-0 lead in the top of the ninth to face a 4-2 deficit, GU loaded the bases in the bottom half, scored one with a sacrifice fly and then scored two after a chopper to shortstop was thrown wide of first base. Ernie Yake was hustling all the way from second to score on the play in which the ball never left the infield.
- Jack Machtolf reached base eight times in 15 plate appearances with four hits and four walks on the week.
- Newcomers Tyler Rando and Gabriel Hughes, along with Ryan Sullivan, each collected five hits in four games to lead the offense.
- Sullivan knocked in five runs, including a three-run homer to seal the game against No. 25 Oregon State.
- Sullivan hit for the cycle over the course of the weekend, collecting a double and a triple, and he also stole a team-high two bases on the weekend.
- Sullivan and Hughes each had a four-hit game in the win over Oregon State on Saturday.
- Ryan Sullivan made his first start as a Zag in the outfield - after playing only first base last season - and showed his range with a highlight reel diving catch.
- Redshirt freshman Stephen Lund started behind the plate in three of the four games and came in the late stages of the fourth to put the ball in play that eventually scored the two runs for the walk-off win.
- Josh Bristyan started in centerfield - after playing only middle infield last season - due to injury to last season's everyday centerfielder Guthrie Morrison.
- Freshman Gabriel Hughes played first base in the first three games and then started on the mound in the fourth game. He also batted in the middle of the lineup in the game he pitched.
- As a team, Gonzaga made just two errors in four games for a .987 fielding percentage.
- The Gonzaga staff had 39 strikeouts, but walked 21, in 35.0 innings, holding hitters to a .262 batting average.
- Gonzaga's upperclassman trio of seniors Mac Lardner and Nick Trogrlic-Iverson and junior Alek Jacob is line to serve as the weekend rotation.
- Lardner turned in a fantastic outing against BYU on Friday, going 6.0 innings with 0 ER, 1 H, 9 K and 2 BB.
- Freshman Gabriel Hughes started his first career game and went 6.0 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits with six strikeouts and three walks.
- With Hughes start against New Mexico, GU was one strike away from an all-freshman shutout with Reagan Haas and William Kempner out of the bullpen. New Mexico got to Kempner for four runs with two outs in the ninth before GU came back to win.
- Out of the pen, freshman Reagan Haas and Jacob Rutherford each turned in scoreless appearances, facing two batters each. Alec Gomez also was solid, going 4.0 innings in relief and allowing just one run on three hits with four strikeouts....

Gonzaga Article Link

[TerpZag]

Baseball Downed 2-0 at South Alabama

Zags left 13 runners on base in the game

South Alabama 2 - Gonzaga 0 Final Box Score Link

MOBILE, Ala. – Gonzaga baseball left 13 runners aboard and South Alabama came up with the only two runs of the game in the eighth for the 2-0 win on Friday night in Mobile, Alabama.

Gonzaga (2-7) managed just four hits, but drew four walks and five hit-by pitches to put runners aboard all game long. The Jaguars were stifled offensively as well, before putting two runners aboard in the eighth and scoring both on a hit and an error off of Zags reliever Alec Gomez.

Gonzaga starter Mac Lardner turned in a strong performance, going 7.2 innings and allowing two runs (one earned) on seven hits with 10 strikeouts and just two walks. Gomez got the final out after both inherited runners scored.

"We spoiled a good effort from Mac Lardner today," head coach Mark Machtolf said. "Now we just need to get back after it again tomorrow. I'm excited to see the punch our guys bring."

The Zags offense had plenty of opportunities, leaving the bases loaded in the fifth and two runners aboard in each the seventh and eighth innings.

Designated hitter Tyler Rando had two hits in the game to move his on-base streak to all nine games. Jack Machtolf had a double, and Brett Harris had a single in the game.

The second game of the series will start at 12 p.m. PT/2 p.m. CT on Saturday at Stanky Field in Mobile, Alabama. Check GoZags.com for links to live coverage.

Gonzaga Article Link

[sittingon50]

A 2 & 7 start is gonna' bugger these guys up. They need to get busy.

[sittingon50]

Zags come on huge late to earn the W.

https://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=295789

[TerpZag]

JAG BASEBALL FALLS TO GONZAGA IN GAME TWO

Gonzaga 13 - South Alabama 3 Final Box Score Link

MOBILE, Ala. – Gonzaga scored nine runs over the final two innings, including seven in the ninth, to defeat the University of South Alabama baseball team 13-3 Saturday at Stanky Field.

The Bulldogs held a 4-3 lead after seven frames, and added two runs in the eighth to double their lead at 6-3 before a seven-run ninth inning. South Alabama (6-6) will return to action Sun., March 1, when it hosts Gonzaga at 11 a.m. in the rubber match.

GAME FACTS
- Gonzaga (3-7) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Ernie Yake hit the first pitch of the game over the right field wall for a leadoff solo home run. The Bulldogs then loaded the bases with no outs on three straight singles by Isaac Barrera, Tyler Rando and Brett Harris. USA right-hander Miles Smith struck out Stephen Lund for the first out of the frame, and rolled a 4-6-3 inning-ending double play off the bat of Jack Machtolf to escape the jam.

- USA tied the game 1-1 in the bottom of the second inning when Preston Welchel reached on a fielding error by GU first baseman Sullivan, who then threw wide of the bag at first to allow Andrew Bates, who reached on a fielder's choice, to score from second and tie the score. A walk by Brandon Auerbach loaded the bases with one out. Ethan Wilson then reached on an error by GU center fielder Barrera to allow Santi Montiel, who singled earlier in the inning, to score from third for a 2-1 Jaguar lead. Reid Powers then drew a bases-loaded walk to score Welchel for a 3-1 advantage.

- GU answered with a run in the top of the third on a two-out RBI single through the left side of the infield by Brett Harris to cut the USA lead to 3-2.

- The Bulldogs took a 4-3 lead in the top of the sixth on a two-out, two-run double to the left-center gap by Sullivan.

- GU doubled its lead to 6-3 in the top of the eighth on consecutive two-out RBI singles by Sullivan and Alex Shanks.

- The Bulldogs added the game's final runs in the top of the ninth inning.

NOTES
- Brandon Auerbach got the start at second base, which marked his first start of the season.

- Powers extended his hit streak and on-base streak to seven games with a two-out single to center field in the bottom of the first inning.

- Michael Sandle extended his hit streak and on-base streak to seven games with a leadoff single to left field in the bottom of the fifth.

- Smith allowed two runs on five hits with a pair of strikeouts and one walk in five innings pitched without factoring in the decision.

- GU right-hander Alek Jacob (1-1) allowed three unearned runs on five hits with 11 strikeouts and six walks in 6 1/3 innings pitched in the win.

- Bulldog right-hander Gabriel Hughes tossed 2 2/3 scoreless relief innings, and allowed one hit while striking out three to record his first save of the season.

- Jaguar left-hander Caleb Yarborough (0-2) allowed two runs on two hits with two strikeouts and one walk in one relief inning in the loss.

- The loss snapped a four-game Jaguar win streak.

QUOTES
Head Coach Mark Calvi
- On the loss:
"I told the guys that I thought our approach was really good with their (Gonzaga) starter (Alek Jacob) early on. We put ourselves in position to play the second-half of the baseball game differently. We were right there. We lacked the big hit; we left too many men on (base). We worked to get on base, and were missing that big hit today. Give Gonzaga credit, they played all 27 outs and our approach got a little bit scattered in the middle innings, and we didn't do enough offensively at all. The faster we let this one go, the better off we'll be. We'll be ready to go tomorrow."

NEXT UP
South Alabama will return to action Sun., March 1, when it hosts Gonzaga at 11 a.m. in the rubber match...

South Alabama Article Link

[TerpZag]

Baseball Blasts South Alabama, 13-3

Zags scored nine runs in the final two innings

Gonzaga 13 - South Alabama 3 Final Box Score Link

MOBILE, Ala. – Gonzaga baseball earned a 13-3 victory with nine runs in the final two innings at South Alabama on Saturday in Mobile, Alabama.

Gonzaga (3-7) trailed South Alabama (6-6) 3-2 heading into the sixth inning, but scored two in the sixth to take the lead, two more in the eighth and a total of seven in the ninth inning. Seven Zags had multiple hits in a game that GU pounded out 18 total.

"Today was a good response to yesterday," head coach Mark Machtolf said. "It was good to get the bats going and we are looking forward to the opportunity to a series on the road."

The duo of starter Alek Jacob and reliever Gabriel Hughes also kept the Jaguar offense to just three runs. Jacob went 6.1 innings, allowing three runs (zero earned) on five hits with 11 strikeouts and five walks. Hughes came on in relief in the seventh and pitched the final 2.2 innings scoreless with just one hit and three strikeouts.

Ernie Yake went 3-for-5 with two RBI and three runs scored, while Ryan Sullivan, Alex Shanks, Mason Marenco, Stephen Lund, Brett Harris and Tyler Rando had two hits apiece.

Yake began the game with a solo home run on the first pitch he saw, but the Jaguars answered with three in the second inning to take the lead. Gonzaga got a run on an RBI single from Harris in the third, and then a lead-changing two-RBI double from Sullivan in the sixth for a 4-3 lead.

After a scoreless seventh, GU added two in the eighth with RBI singles from Sullivan and Shanks. In the ninth, it was all Zags as GU posted its seven-run inning with five run-scoring singles. Rando, Shanks and Yake each knocked home one, while Lund and Marenco each brought two.

The Zags and Jaguars will wrap up the series on Sunday at 9 a.m. PT/11 a.m. CT in Mobile, Ala. Check GoZags.com for links to live coverage.

Gonzaga Article Link

[TerpZag]

Baseball Suffers Ninth-Inning Loss at South Alabama, 7-6

GU came back from down two, but couldn’t hang on

South Alabama 7 - Gonzaga 6 Final Box Score Link

MOBILE, Ala. – Gonzaga baseball scored four in the eighth to take the lead, but South Alabama put up four of their own in the ninth to beat GU 7-6 on Sunday in Mobile, Ala.

Trailing 3-2 entering the eighth inning, GU (3-8) got four runs on the strength of a two-run homer by Stephen Lund, but the Jaguars (7-6) had the answer in the ninth, walking it off on a GU error for the win.

Gonzaga starter Nick Trogrlic-Iverson had a quality start, going 6.0 innings and allowing just three runs on four hits with five strikeouts and one walk. Trystan Vrieling came on in relief for the seventh and pitched a scoreless inning, but was relieved in the eighth when Alec Gomez came on to get out of a jam.

Ryan Sullivan had another big day offensively for the Zags, going 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and two runs scored. GU had nine hits in the game and left 10 runners on base.

Gonzaga got on the board first with an RBI groundout from Machtolf, but the Jaguars came right back with two in the bottom of the second and one more in the fifth for a 3-1 lead.

GU got one in the sixth inning on an RBI triple from Machtolf and then got hot again in the eighth. After a Sullivan single to open the inning, Stephen Lund hit his first-career homer for a 4-3 GU lead. Later in the inning, Gabriel Hughes scored on a passed ball and then Josh Bristyan brought home another with a line drive single to right field for a 6-3 lead.

Gomez then entered with two on and nobody out and went to work. He got the first hitter to foul out and then struck out the next two swinging to the end the threat in the eighth.

In the ninth, it was a different story for GU as the Jaguars put three straight runners aboard without the benefit of a hit before a single brought them to within one, 6-5. Then a slow bouncer to third was thrown wide of home plate, allowing two runs to score on the play.

Gonzaga will open its home schedule its next time out, hosting CSUN for a four-game series beginning Friday at 3 p.m. Check GoZags.com for links to live coverage.

Gonzaga Article Link