Zags Open 2021 Season Friday at Sanderson Ford Baseball Classic in Arizona

[TerpZag]

BSB: Zags Open 2021 Season Friday at Sanderson Ford Baseball Classic in Arizona

Zags open season in Surprise for fifth consecutive season

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SPOKANE, Wash. — Gonzaga baseball opens the 2021 season this weekend with four high-profile matchups in Surprise, Arizona at the Sanderson Ford Baseball Classic, starting with New Mexico Friday at 4 p.m. PT.

Surprise Stadium — the Spring Training home of the Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers — is the same place where the Zags started off 2020, facing BYU in a nonconference game along with Oregon State and New Mexico. This year, they'll match up with the Lobos and Beavers once apiece and Kansas State twice.

All three teams lean heavily on returning pitching cores from last season, with untested offenses all boosted by a posterity of returning players from the shortened season.

New Mexico is coming off of its best start in close to a decade last spring, when they finished the shortened season 14-4. That year, Lobos were No. 9 in the nation in hits, leading the Mountain West in scoring. UNM returns four pitchers who combined to go 6-0 with a 3.05 ERA last spring, and GU starter Alek Jacob will likely get a matchup with third-year sophomore Troy Melton, ranked No. 79 on D1Baseball's top prospect list.

GU is 5-4 all-time against the Lobos, most recently defeating them 5-4 in their lone matchup in Surprise a year ago.

Kansas State will match up with GU on alternating days on Feb. 20 and 22. The Wildcats are unproven in a dominant Big 12 and haven't played in an NCAA Tourney since 2013, but return two of the top 10 pitching prospects in the conference in lefty Jordan Wicks and eighth Carson Seymour.

OSU had a humbling 2020, but the Beavers still have experience all over the field to go with scrappy, opportunistic offense. The 2018 CWS champions return plenty of talented pieces from that team, including 2018 Freshman of the Year Kevin Abel. They'll square off with GU on the 21st.

GU holds a 34-63 record against OSU all-time, but split two games with them in 2020. The Zags will head to Corvallis for two more games with the Beavs the first weekend of April to complete the season series.

The Zags start the season against UNM at 4 p.m. Paid streaming options will be available through FloBaseball. Visit GoZags.com for live streaming, live stats and up-to-date game day information.

Gonzaga Article Link

[TerpZag]

Gonzaga defeated New Mexico 4-3 in their season opener this afternoon...

https://gozags.com/sports/baseball/s.../boxscore/7763

[TerpZag]

BSB: Zags Snag 4-3 Victory over New Mexico in Season Opener

Bulldogs face Oregon State Saturday in Surprise

Gonzaga 4 - New Mexico 3 Box Score Link

SURPRISE, Ariz.— Behind a dominant performance from sophomore pitcher Gabriel Hughes and a last-gasp rally, Gonzaga baseball slipped by New Mexico 4-3 in Surprise Stadium on Friday evening in their first game of 2021.

Down 3-2 in the ninth after a solo home run from the Lobos' Kyle Castillo, the Zags (1-0, 0-0) needed an answer. Twice for GU before the final frame, innings ended with tie-breaking runners on base — but the runs finally came when they needed it most.

The Zags only got four hits off of Lobos pitchers, but benefited from five walks, including Lund, who got into position off of a walk in his only at-bat of the game, and third baseman Brett Harris, who was hit by a pitch to tie the game at 3-all. Harris scored a run and finished 1-for-3 with two RBIs.

With the bases loaded, grad transfer first baseman Andrew Orzel's RBI double sent Stephen Lund home to break the tie and end the game simultaneously.

"First off, it's just great to be back out competing on the diamond," said Head Coach Mark Machtolf. "Proud of our guys' resiliency tonight. Hughes gave us a very quality start and some big at bats late to dig out a comeback win."

Hughes gave up 2 hits in the first inning, including a fielder's choice run by the Lobos' Mack Chambers. An RBI from Harris in the next frame got Ernie Yake home to tie it up at 1-1.

Gonzaga Article Link

[sittingon50]

Good start. Thanks Terp.

[TerpZag]

Gonzaga defeats Kansas State this evening 17-5...Zags' bats were hot with 19 hits...

http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=335680

[TerpZag]

BSB: Zags Dominate K-State 17-5

Nine Bulldogs recorded at least one hit

Gonzaga 17 - Kansas State 5 Box Score Link

SURPRISE, Ariz.— Gonzaga racked up 19 hits on four different pitchers and senior RHP Alek Jacob pitched a near-flawless five innings to earn the win as the Zags blasted Kansas State 17-5 Saturday evening at Surprise Stadium.

In the first of two games with the Wildcats, high winds kept the ball in play, leading to a much more high-scoring affair than the Zags' 4-3 victory over New Mexico on Friday.

GU's hitters found headway with KSU starter Carson Seymour early and often, scoring four runs in the first three innings. Junior Tyler Rando led the Bulldogs with a double and 3 RBI, including one that sent Ernie Yake home for the game's first run, one of eight GU players to do so.

Fifth-year senior Brett Harris went 4-4, adding a single and a team-high five runs. Sophomore Gabriel Hughes drove in a run after starting on the mound on Friday.

On the other end, Jacob kept KSU hitters chasing the ball with a variety of off-speed pitches, allowing four hits with four runs and striking out seven. By the third, he had kept opposing hitters scoreless.

But KSU wouldn't go away that easily. A four-run third inning from the Wildcats tied the game up, but the Zags responded the next frame with a double from Andrew Orzel that yielded runs from Guthrie Morrison and Harris to put them back up 6-4.

Jacob threw a shutdown inning in his next go-round and the Zags' offense broke the game open in the fifth. Runs from put GU up by seven, and six more over the rest of the game put the game away for good as the Zags' pitchers kept the Wildcats at bay.

After the third, Jacob didn't give up another run, retiring the last seven hitters he faced. Michael Spellacy and Nico Zeglin pitched four innings of relief with five combined strikeouts to earn the save.

The Zags will face Oregon State at 11 a.m. Sunday, and complete the series against KSU on Monday at 9 a.m. Up-to-date game time information is available on GoZags.com

Gonzaga Article Link

[TerpZag]

Gonzaga gets thumped by Oregon State 20-4 this afternoon...Gonzaga trailed 4-0 after the 1st inning...Then trailed 7-0 after 3 innings...Oregon State then scored 13 runs in the 6th inning to put the nail in the coffin...

Zags will play Kansas State tomorrow morning at 9am...

https://gozags.com/sports/baseball/s.../boxscore/7765

[TerpZag]

Zags Baseball Downed by Oregon State

By Connor Gilbert, Gonzaga Sports Information Intern

Oregon State 20 - Gonzaga 4 Box Score Link

SURPRISE, Ariz.— Oregon State's bats erupted for the second game in a row, piling up 20 hits to top Gonzaga 20-4 Sunday at the Ford Sanderson Baseball Classic at Surprise Stadium.

The Zags (2-1) mustered four runs off 10 hits, led by Guthrie Morrison, who went 3-for-5 at the plate with two RBIs and two doubles.


"Not a good result today," said Head Coach Mark Machtolf. "The most important lesson from today is to have a short memory and make sure we give ourselves the best chance tomorrow vs K-State."

Down 7-0 after four innings, GU responded with a four-run fifth frame that included runs from Stephen Lund, Jack Machtolf, Gabe Hughes and Anthony Garrett to make it a 7-4 game. That would be the closest the game would get before a monster 13-run sixth inning gave the Beavers a commanding 20-4 lead. Neither team would score for the rest of the game, and the Zags couldn't rally any further.


Six Zag throwers saw action, including redshirt freshman Bradley Mullan in his first career start and relievers Ben Larson, Owen Wild, Daniel Naughton, Jack Moffitt and Regan Haas. Only Haas pitched more than two innings' worth.

Beavers (2-1) starter Jack Washburn didn't give up any hits, but only threw for 1.2 innings. Jake Pfennings and Brock Townsend combined for four strikeouts in relief.

Next Up

Gonzaga gets a rematch with Kansas State at 9 a.m. Monday. The Zags topped the Wildcats 17-5 Saturday night in their first matchup.

Follow the Game

Up-to-date game time information is available on GoZags.com, and a paid live stream is available for the event via FloSports.

Gonzaga Article Link

[TerpZag]

Gonzaga's bats go cold...Kansas State defeats Gonzaga 6-1...

The Zags finish their season opening weekend with a 2-2 record...

https://gozags.com/sports/baseball/s.../boxscore/7766

[TerpZag]

GU baseball splits series with K-State

Kansas State 6 - Gonzaga 1 Box Score Link

SURPRISE, Ariz.— Kansas State collected nine hits and held Gonzaga batters to four on its way to a 6-1 win over GU Monday morning to split the two-game series in the final day of the Ford Sanderson Classic at Surprise Stadium.

GU starter Trystan Vrieling exited the game after throwing five pitches with an injury from contact with a ball, but the Bulldogs' relievers performed admirably in his absence, keeping the Wildcats (2-2) scoreless after five innings.

"Not the result we wanted today, tough blow to lose our starter after five pitches but fortunately he is going to be okay," GU coach Mark Machtolf said. "Lots of things to build on after weekend one and work to do to make ourselves better each day going forward."

Five relievers combined to allow four earned runs on seven base hits over the rest of the game.

RHP's Nico Zeglin and William Kempner took up the majority of the workload, combining for 6.2 innings and giving up three hits. Zeglin struck out three Wildcat batters and walked two with no earned runs, and Kempner matched Zeglin with three K's of his own, including a shutout eighth that went without a hit.

But KSU starter Kasey Ford earned the win, throwing 5.2 innings while holding the Zags without an earned run on four hits, walking four.

Cameron Thompson broke the game open for the Wildcats in the sixth, keying in a three-run frame with an RBI single and a run off another single from Dylan Phillips. K-State followed that up with two more runs off two more singles from Thompson and Nick Goodwin in the seventh.

A sacrifice fly to center field from Tyler Rando sent Brett Harris home for the Zags' sole run in the eighth, but the Zags picked up four hits and were walked by Wildcat pitchers 10 times. Rando paced the Bulldogs (2-2) with a 2-for-4 outing and an RBI while Harris went 1-for-2, getting walked three times.

Thompson scored his second run at the top of the ninth to put the Wildcats back up by five before the final frame, finishing 2-4 with a double and a walk.

With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, GU managed to load the bases for a last-gasp push, but another pop fly to center field by Rando was snagged to end the game.

Up Next

The Zags hit the road again next weekend for a four-game series Feb. 25-28 at Dallas Baptist. The 2-0 Patriots are ranked No. 30 nationally by D1Baseball.com and have advanced to NCAA Regional finals every year since 2016.

Follow the Game

Up-to-date game time information is available on GoZags.com, and free live streaming will be available via DBU. GU is set to start the series at 4:30 p.m. PT on Thursday, Feb. 25.

Gonzaga Article Link