Zags set to kick off four-game road series with No. 21 Dallas Baptist on Thursday

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Zags set to kick off four-game road series with No. 21 Dallas Baptist

First ranked opponent of the season for the Bulldogs

DALLAS, Texas -- Gonzaga baseball is set to face its first ranked opponent of the season on Thursday with the first of four games with No. 21 Dallas Baptist on the road, with the first pitch scheduled for 4:30 p.m.PT.

The Zags are coming off a 2-2 weekend in Arizona with mixed results, defeating New Mexico and K-State in the first two games but falling to Oregon State and KSU in the third and fourth.

In those four games, GU batters hit .279, and their 10 doubles during that weekend are third-most in the nation so far. Through four games, Brett Harris leads GU's batters in six categories -- batting average (.545), on-base percentage (.762), slugging percentage (.636), runs (7), and RBI (5). In the field, the Bulldogs committed three errors in 147 chances, good for a .980 fielding percentage.

The Patriots' offensive capabilities were anything but ambivalent in a three-game sweep of Austin Peay, the fourth consecutive season for DBU that began with an opening weekend sweep.

So far, DBU is errorless through 102 chances against the Governors, as the Patriots outscored them 36-6. In those three games, DBU's offense was as prolific as any in the country, sending the ball out of the park 11 times -- putting them at No. 1 in the nation in home runs as well as homers per game with 3.7. GU has yet to hit a home run through four games.

Six players on the Patriots' roster are hitting above .400, including shortstop Blayne Jones, who was named Collegiate Baseball's National Player of the Week on Monday. Jones finished the weekend with a .417 average and led the team in home runs (4), RBI (10) and total bases (17).

DBU's aggressive offense will face off against a Zags pitching staff and lineup that are more patient and methodical in their approach. Despite giving up 34 earned runs in Arizona, only 14 of them were from teams not named Oregon State, and GU starter Trystan Vrieling returns Thursday after only throwing five pitches on Monday.

As for other GU starters, sophomore RHP Gabriel Hughes leads the staff in strikeouts (7) in 6.2 innings against New Mexico, and senior Alek Jacob has 5 K's in 5.0 innings of work. Sunday's starter for the Zags is to be determined.

Probable Pitching Matchups (GU vs. DBU)

Thursday
RHP Trystan Vrieling (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 H, 0 K. 0.1 IP) vs. RHP Kyle Rich (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 3.0 IP, 5 K)

Friday
RHP Gabriel Hughes vs. RHP Dominic Hamel (1-0, 3.60 ERA, 5.0 IP, 7 K)

Saturday
RHP Alek Jacob vs. RHP Ray Gaither (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 4.0 IP, 6 K)

Sunday
TBD vs. LHP Jared Pettitte (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 3.1 IP, 4 K)

Inside the Series

Gonzaga and Dallas Baptist have only played twice before, but it's been over a decade since their last meeting, a 6-5 GU win at the Southwest Diamond Classic in Frisco, Texas. The all-time series is still 1-1, with DBU taking the first in 2005.

Extended Road Trip

The Zags haven't been back in Spokane since they departed for Surprise, Arizona on Feb. 18. They traveled straight to Dallas after their second game with Kansas State, staying and practicing in Dallas for the first part of the week to minimize travel.

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

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Gonzaga defeats #21 Dallas Baptist 10-7 this evening...

Zags trailed 5-0 after the 1st inning...The Zags continued to chip away at the lead and
tied the game 6-6 in the 5th inning...The Zags then scored 4 runs in the 7th inning to
take the lead and eventually win the game...

https://dbupatriots.com/sidearmstats/baseball/media;category=batting

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Zags storm back after lightning delay to beat No. 21 Dallas Baptist, 10-7

Guthrie Morrison leads the way with four RBI

Gonzaga 10 - Dallas Baptist 7 Box Score Link


DALLAS, Texas — Damp conditions prevailed as Gonzaga's methodical offense battled with Dallas Baptist's hyper-productive hitters through a 30-minute lightning delay Thursday in Dallas, but GU's bullpen took control as the game stretched into Friday morning and the Zags rallied from a disastrous five-run first inning to win 10-7.

DBU righty starter Kyle Rich shut down the Bulldogs' lineup in the first round, throwing three strikeouts in 2.1 innings pitched. But Rich gave up three runs after the weather delay in the third, and DBU's relievers didn't throw a strikeout until the sixth as the Zags (3-2) chipped away at the lead, benefiting from 13 walks while loading the bases in three separate innings.

"Really proud of how our guys answered back after a tough first inning tonight," said Head Coach Mark Machtolf. "A quality resilient effort all around the diamond to dig out a big win on the road."

GU batters picked up eight hits — led by Guthrie Morrison (3-for-6, 2 runs, 4 RBI) and Ernie Yake (1-for-3, 3 runs, 1 RBI). Andrew Orzel, Brett Harris, Stephen Lund and Gabriel Hughes all finished with a hit each. Hits from Morrison keyed in three-run third and seventh innings and a two run fifth that swung momentum in GU's favor.

Zags starter Trystan Vrieling allowed five runs and walked three DBU hitters but struck out six. Six different Gonzaga pitchers kept the nation's most prolific home run-hitting team from sending a single ball out of the park through eight innings while combining for 14 strikeouts. Vrieling (1-0) earned the win, and Gomez the save.

After play resumed, RHP Bradley Mullan pitched one inning of relief, posting two strikeouts and largely kept the Patriots' bats at bay. Regan Haas threw four strikeouts in two scoreless innings after Mullan, and Brody Jessee, Michael Spellacy, and Alec Gomez all combined for the final 3.3 innings to close out the game.

The Action

DBU's offense was surgical in a five-run first frame, buoyed by three walks on 53 pitches from Vrieling. Six players got on base despite Vrieling striking out three, including Collegiate Baseball's National Player of the Week Blayne Jones with the bases loaded. On all three Patriots' base hits in the first, Vrieling had pitched two strikes on the batter before the last slipped away.

Rich doubled up on GU's struggles in the next frame with three quick outs on only nine pitches — strikeouts on Stephen Lund and Gabriel Hughes, and a first base putout for Jack Machtolf.

But Vrieling started gaining momentum in the bottom of the second, striking out two more hitters and stranding one on base to slow DBU's roll before weather became a factor.

The Zags' disciplined offense found its gear in the next inning as well — collecting walks and opportunistic hits and capitalizing on errors. In three at-bats, Grayson Sterling was walked, Ernie Yake was hit by a pitch and Guthrie Morrison singled down the right field line for Sterling to score GU's first run. Harris was hit by a pitch again, and he and Morrison were both on base when the game was halted due to weather (lightning).

After the half-hour delay, Patriots reliever Chandler Arnold inherited a difficult situation in the heavy rain, and GU made the most out of his difficulty finding the strike zone in the damp conditions. Tyler Rando singled to load the bases, Lund was walked to send Yake home, and Morrison reached home on a wild pitch to put the game at 5-3.

Bradley Mullan threw in relief after the break, throwing two strikeouts before a double from Ryan Wrobleski got Andrew Benefield home to tack on another run. A diving catch from Grayson Sterling in right field ended the third.

Sophomore RHP Reagan Haas replaced Mullan going into the fifth and immediately proceeded to throw three-straight strikes for his first K. He emphatically closed the inning with the Zags' 10th and 11th strikeouts of the night as the wind and rain started to die down for a brief period.

Even as the weather improved, the Bulldogs' offense kept trudging along while the Patriots' stalled. The tying runs finally came in the fifth, when GU loaded the bases once again — Yake was walked to send Lund home to put it at 5-6, and Morrison split second and third with a grounder that sent Sterling home to put it at 6-all — but three runners were left on base after a double play controlled the damage. DBU righty Zach Heaton's first strikeout and another difficult double play from the Patriots infield ended the sixth before the Zags could muster a run.

RHPs Brody Jessee and Michael Spellacy filled in the bottom of the sixth as the wind picked again, keeping DBU's bats quiet despite four more flies. The Zags took a 10-6 lead with a four-run seventh that saw a bases-loaded RBI double deep into the corner of left field from Morrison and walks from Rando and Andrew Orzel that drove in runs.

DBU's Zane Russell made his 2021 mound debut in the eighth with a 1-2-3 inning, and Jackson Glynn hit a solo homer for the first RBI for the Patriots since the third. Russell held GU scoreless again in the ninth with 3 strikeouts, but DBU still couldn't generate the runs needed to make up the distance even after hits from Andres Sosa and Jace Grady: With runners on second and third, Alec Gomez came in to close the game with a strikeout, a groundout and a final pop fly.

Next Up

Gonzaga faces the Patriots for game two at 4:30 pm PT Friday. DBU RHP Dominic Hamel (1-0, 3.60 ERA, 5.0 IP, 7 K) is set to face Zags RHP Gabriel Hughes (0-0, 2.70 ERA, 6.2 IP, 7 K).

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 Friday, Feb. 26.

Series Background
This was the third-ever meeting between Gonzaga and Dallas Baptist on the diamond, the last being a 6-4 win in Frisco, Texas in 2007. The series is now 2-1 all time.

Notes
-GU had 11 runners left on base; DBU finished with 14.
-Spellacy was the only Zags pitcher to throw for more than 2.0 innings, with 2.1.
-DBU started the season with a knack for the long ball, leading the NCAA with an average of 3.7 per game. Jackson Glenn's solo slam tacked one more onto the Patriot's total, but they didn't send a baseball out of the park until the eighth inning.
-Grayson Sterling led off on three separate innings for GU.
-Before this game, DBU had not committed an error in 102 opportunities. In the wet conditions, Patriots infielders committed three errors while GU committed one.
-Blayne Jones, a .417 hitter with 4 home runs coming into this game, struck out a career-high four times.
-DBU didn't get a hit from the third inning until the sixth, when Jeffrey David doubled for his first hit of the season.
-Haas has yet to give up a run this season in his two appearances.

Gonzaga Article Link

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Dallas Baptist defeats Gonzaga 13-2 Friday evening...

https://dbupatriots.com/sidearmstats/baseball/media;category=batting

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Dallas Baptist Evens Series with GU

Dallas Baptist 13 - Gonzaga 2 Box Score Link

DALLAS, Texas — Dallas Baptist RHP Dominic Hamel and Gonzaga's Gabriel Hughes held both teams scoreless through three innings in a battle of aces Friday night, but DBU's batters outproduced GU's 14-6 and hit three home runs to even the four-game series with a 12-3 victory.

Hamel was dominant for the Patriots (4-1), holding the Bulldogs (3-3) to one earned run in 5.2 innings and posting 10 K's. Relievers Rhett Kouba and Joey Martin finished off the game, allowing only one more run and combining for four more strikeouts.

Hughes struck out six, and finished with six earned runs, walking six in five innings of work. Jacob Rutherford, Ben Larson and Owen Wild split the final four innings, with Rutherford contributing a strikeout.

Patriots pitchers only walked only three Zags Friday after letting 13 pass on Thursday, and their position players went errorless — as did GU, led by Tyler Rando with seven putouts.

Andrew Orzel finished 2-for-3 for GU, along with a run and back-to-back extra-base hits in the sixth and seventh. Guthrie Morrison, Tyler Rando, Jack Machtolf and Riley Livingston all picked up a hit apiece, and Brett Harris scored GU's other run off Machtolf's single to center field.

DBU broke through in the third when Grady batted in three runners with a triple to center field, but the Patriots followed it up in the fourth with two more runs off Austin Bell's homer.

After Bell, River Town and Ryan Wrobleski also went deep after Bell in an explosive five-run eighth inning that put the game out of reach.

"Not the best night from the Zags in all three facets of the game," said Head Coach Mark Machtolf. "Looking forward to a big response tomorrow."

Next Up

The series resumes at noon Saturday, featuring Gonzaga righty Alek Jacob (1-0, 7.20 ERA, 5.0 IP, 5 K) vs. Dallas Baptist's Ray Gaither (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 4.0 IP, 6 K).

Follow the Game

Up-to-date game time information is available on GoZags.com, and free live streaming will be available via DBU.

Series Background

This was the fourth meeting between Gonzaga and Dallas Baptist on the diamond, the first two being in 2005 and 2007, respectively. The series is now 2-2 all time.

Notes

-Brett Harris has been hit by a pitch an NCAA-leading seven times. Ernie Yake is tied with seven others for second.
-GU is tied for fourth in the nation in double plays with four on the season, and the Zags are ranked 15th in on base percentage (.442).
-Three of GU's hits were for extra bases, and two were from Andrew Orzel. The other was a Guthrie Morrison's double.

Gonzaga Article Link

[TerpZag]

Gonzaga scores 2 touchdowns, a field goal and a safety to defeat Dallas Baptist 19-7 this afternoon...

Jack Machtolf led the Zag 14 hit attck with 3 hits including a grand slam and a 2-run home run and 6 RBIs...

Alex Jacob led the Zags pitching giving up 4 hits, 2 earned runs and stiking out 11 batters...while facing only 19 batters...

https://dbupatriots.com/sidearmstats/baseball/media;category=batting

[TerpZag]

GU Records Four Homers in 19-7 Rout of Dallas Baptist

Zags close the series Sunday at 10 a.m. PT

Gonzaga 19 - Dallas Baptist 7 Box Score Link

DALLAS, Texas — After a demoralizing loss on Friday night, Gonzaga's offense made a statement against Dallas Baptist Saturday afternoon, racking up 14 hits and a season-high 19 runs to take the third game of the series.

GU came into the game without a single home run on the season, but Jack Machtolf, Brett Harris, Gabriel Hughes and Stephen Lund all went yard against the Patriots — with Machtolf going the distance twice for a total of five homers in the 19-7 victory. GU now leads the four-game series 2-1.

After drawing first blood for the first time this series with a three bases-loaded walks in the third inning -- and Jack Machtolf's homer that drove in Tyler Rando, Brett Harris and Ernie Yake. Stephen Lund hit the game's second home run to send Orzel home and enter the next frame with a 9-0 advantage. In the fifth, Gabriel Hughes batted in another home run for Orzel to tack on two more.

"Great response today, that's a quality win vs a very good Dallas Baptist team," said GU coach Mark Machtolf. "A lot of big individual efforts offensively, but also very happy with the whole group's energy and resilience after a tough loss last night."

Righty starter Alek Jacob was dominant for GU in 4 1/3 innings pitched, throwing 11 strikeouts and giving up two earned runs on four total hits before being dismissed from the game due to a foreign substance on his glove. In his stead, GU turned to Nico Zeglin and William Kempner for the remaining four-odd innings. Kempner again shouldered much of the relief workload, throwing as many pitches as Jacob (75) with a lower ERA (2.45) and three strikeouts.

DBU's starting RHP Ray Gaither struggled on the mound after holding the Zags scoreless in the first two frames, giving up nine runs and seven hits in 13 at-bats without a strikeout. Cole Reeves threw three K's in relief, but GU's deep hitting became insurmountable even after Jacob's departure and a Patriots' grand slam in the sixth brought hope of a comeback.

Along with both homers, Machtolf finished 3-for-6, scoring two runs and batting in six. Andrew Orzel finished 3-for-5 with an RBI, and eight different Zags earned at least two runs. Rando (3 runs, 3 RBI), Guthrie Morrison (2-for-6, one run) and Harris (1-for-5, 3 runs, 3 RBI) added three more off a fielder's choice, a wild pitch, and a single from Orzel in the eighth, and Harris and Machtolf both added two more 2-RBI homers to the total in the ninth to put the game out of reach.

Next Up

The time for the final game of the Gonzaga-Dallas Baptist series on Sunday has been changed to 10 a.m. PST. GU leads the series 2-1, and now leads the all-time series 3-2. GU is set to start LHP Bradley Mullan (0-1, 27.00 ERA, 2.0 IP, 3 K), while LHP Jared Pettitte (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 3.1 IP, 4 K) is set to make the start for the Patriots.

Follow the Game

Up-to-date game time information is available on GoZags.com, and free live streaming will be available via DBU.

Series Background

This was the fifth meeting between Gonzaga and Dallas Baptist on the diamond, the first two being in 2005 and 2007, respectively. The series is now 3-2 all time.


Notes

-A day after starting on the mound, Gabriel Hughes went 2-for-3 with 2 RBI, 2 runs and one of the game's five homers.
-Jack Machtolf doubled his career HR total today from 2 to 4.
-The Zags matched their hit total from Friday by the third inning.
-Guthrie Morrison has the only stolen base of the game for GU.
-Today's home run total ties for the program's second-highest in history at 5. GU's 19 runs tie for fourth-most in history.
-Despite going without a homer until today this season, GU now ranks No 23 amongst teams for total HRs nationally.
-With 17 batters HBP this season, GU is still No. 1 in the nation in that stat.
-Brett Harris fell to No. 19 in the country in on base percentage, but has logged more at bats than any of the players before him.

Gonzaga Article Link

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Gonzaga loses a close series final to Dallas Baptist 8-7...

https://gozags.com/sports/baseball/stats/2021/dallas-baptist-university/boxscore/7770

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BSB: Zags Fall 8-7 at Dallas Baptist to Close Series

Dallas Baptist 8 - Gonzaga 7 Box Score Link

DALLAS, Texas — After a back-and-forth series that featured two blowouts on both sides and a come-from-behind win in a weather delay, it felt natural that the final game between Gonzaga and Dallas Baptist went down to the wire. Tied 7-all going into the bottom of the ninth with two outs on the board, DBU's Ryan Wrobleski singled into center field to send Jace Grady home and end the game 8-7. The four-game series finished with a 2-2 split.

RHP Bradley Mullan threw just over three innings as GU's starter, striking out three and walking three more while giving up three earned runs on three hits. Trystan Vrieling, the Bulldogs' starter from Thursday night, threw three strikeouts in relief for two innings along with Daniel Naughton (2.5 ERA, two hits, two strikeouts in 2 IP), Alec Gomez and Michael Spellacy.

"Proud of our guys' effort today," said Head Coach Mark Machtolf. "A lot of battle in this group. Didn't get the result we wanted today, but feel like we can take away a lot of positives and negatives from this weekend that we can use to be better going forward."

Despite being walked only three times, GU's hitters were productive from the onset, taking a 4-2 lead off of a single RBI from Grayson Sterling and a two-run single by Guthrie Morrison and then scoring off a wild pitch and a balk in the eighth to tie it again at 6-all after the Patriots produced two more runs in the previous inning. Yake scored off another balk to even the score at 7-7 going into the ninth, but DBU's late onslaught of hitting kept the Bulldogs from pushing for extra innings.

Yake hit 3-of-4 and scored two runs and Morrison and Andrez Orzel both went 2-for-3, with Jack Machtolf, Stephen Lund and Sterling picking up GU's other three base hits with one apiece.

Next Up

The Zags return to Spokane to play host on Friday, March 5 for the first of three games with WCC foe Portland. GU pitcher Gabriel Hughes (1-1, 11.2 IP, 6.17 ERA, 13 SO) will take his usual Friday spot in the rotation, likely to face off against UP's Eli Morse (2-1, 4.2 IP, 0.00 ERA, 5 SO).

Follow the Game

Up-to-date game time information is available on GoZags.com, and free live streaming will be available via the West Coast Conference website. The game starts at 3 p.m. PST Friday.

Series Background

GU is 51-13 all-time against Portland, the last game played between them a 3-2 GU win in 2019. Portland placed three players on the 2021 Preseason All-WCC list, namely infielders Chad Stevens and Trace Tammaro and outfielder Jake Holcroft.

Notes

-The all-time series between GU and DBU was tied at 1-1 before this weekend, and remains tied at 3-3 after DBU's final-game win.
-Andrew Orzel is now GU's leader in batting average (.333) and OPS (1.033). Brett Harris, Jack Machtolf and Guthrie Morrison are the Zags' other batters above the .900 line in OPS.
-GU batters have been hit by pitches 17 times, two more than the next-highest total for No. 1 in the country.
-GU is tied for fourth in the country for most double plays, with five on the season.
-Orzel was also responsible for GU's only extra base hit, a double.
-No GU batter was walked more than once against DBU today, after the Patriots exceeded double-digit walks twice this weekend.

Gonzaga Article Link