Gonzaga Baseball Wraps Up WCC Play At Santa Clara This Weekend

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Baseball Wraps Up WCC Play At Santa Clara This Weekend

SPOKANE, Wash. – Gonzaga University baseball wraps up West Coast Conference play on the road this weekend as the first place Zags travel to last place Santa Clara University. There is a lot at stake for the Bulldogs, with the opportunity to clinch a spot at the WCC Championship tournament in Stockton, Calif., and potentially the No. 1 seed in the tournament. Gonzaga swept the Broncos last year in Spokane and are winners of six consecutive. Taking the mound in game one for the Zags is All-American Marco Gonzales Friday at 6 p.m. at Stephen Schott Stadium.


Gonzaga Bulldogs (28-14-1, 15-6 West Coast)

PROBABLE PITCHING ROTATION

Fri. | #7 LHP Marco Gonzales (6-2, 2.77 ERA)
Sat. | #13 LHP Tyler Olson (8-2, 2.25 ERA)
Sun. | TBD

Head Coach - Mark Machtolf (Stanford 1987, 10th Year - 23rd at Gonzaga)

Gonzaga Record - 294-231 Career Record - Same


Santa Clara Broncos (10-32, 0-18 West Coast)

PROBABLE PITCHING ROTATION

Fri. | #19 RHP Reece Karalus (0-7, 7.40 ERA)
Sat. | #18 RHP Mike Couch (3-7, 4.56 ERA)
Sun. | #23 LHP Powell Fansler (0-2, 4.41 ERA)

Head Coach - Dan O’Brien (UC San Diego 1995)...

SCOUTING SANTA CLARA: The Broncos of Santa Clara University have had a tough go in 2013. The Broncos remain winless in the West Coast Conference and are a riding four game losing streak. Santa Clara is 1-11 in its last 12 games and 2-24 in its 26 games. Greg Harisis is hitting .308 with 2 homeruns and 25 RBI. Casey Munoz has also had a solid season with a .305 average and 26 RBI. Mike Couch leads the team in wins with three. Dan O’Brien is in his second season coaching SCU.

MACHTOLF NEARING 300: Gonzaga University baseball head coach Mark Machtolf is quickly approaching his 300th career win. Machtolf, who is in his 10th-year at the helm of the Bulldogs, has 294 wins entering the week. With only eight games until 300, Machtolf could reach the milestone as soon as May 12 when the Zags host Appalachian State University.

REACH FOR THE SKY: Freshman Caleb Wood has not been toying around ever since he made it into the Gonzaga University baseball lineup. Wood is hitting .314 for the Bulldogs and is tied for the team lead in homeruns with two. The Surprise, Ariz., native is a perfect 9-for-9 on stolen bases. Wood has also given head coach Mark Machtolf flexibility with starts in both the infield and outfield.

THE ADVENTURES OF TYLER OLSON: Senior Tyler Olson might not be getting the headlines in 2013 but he sure is getting the wins for Gonzaga University baseball. The lefty leads the Zags staff with an 8-2 record and a 2.25 ERA. Olson has been brilliant with five complete games in 80 innings pitched. In the month of April, Olson went 4-0 with a 0.52 ERA to go with three complete games. Gonzaga is 9-2 in games Olson starts.

LAST WCC SERIES: Gonzaga University baseball will wrap up its West Coast Conference regular season down in Santa Clara, Calif., this weekend. The Bulldogs have the opportunity to clinch a spot at the West Coast Conference Championship tournament and even the top seed in the tournament. The Bulldogs are a full two series ahead of the other WCC teams because of scheduling, so GU will spend its last two weeks of the season playing non-conference opponents Appalachian State University in Spokane and University of Oregon and Cal on the road...

WE ALL HAVE FLAWS: Gonzaga University baseball has won six West Coast Conference series and just dropped one on the road to Loyola Marymount University. In those WCC games, the Zags are 12-2 in game one and two of the series. In game three’s, the Bulldogs are 3-4 overall. With the WCC Championship series right around the corner, finding a way to win in game three of a series could be vital to the Bulldogs postseason aspirations.

WCC CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT: 2013 will mark the first time the West Coast Conference will use a four-team, neutral-site championship tournament to be held at Banner Island Ballpark May 23-25. Banner Island Ballpark is located in Stockton, Calif., and is home to the Stockton Ports. The top four teams from the league standings will participate in the three-day, double elimination bracket with no “if necessary” Championship game. The winner of the championship will earn an automatic qualifier into the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship. The championship game will also be televised on ESPNU May 25 at 7 p.m...

Gonzaga Article Link

Gonzaga Full Game Notes Link

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Free Video Broadcast and Free Live Stats Link of the Gonzaga at Santa Clara baseball games

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Gonzaga and Santa Clara are tied 1-1 after 1 complete inning.

The Zags scored their run on a single, a walk and another single.

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After 2 complete innings, the Zags and the Broncos are tied 1-1.

Gonzales has 4 strike outs though 2 complete innings.

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Gonzaga and Santa Clara are still tied 1-1 after 3 complete innings.

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After 4 complete innings, still tied 1-1.

Not much action so far, Zags have just 2 hits and the Broncos have 3 hits...

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Santa Clara leads Gonzaga 3-1 after 5 complete innings.

The #9 Bronco batter gets a 2 run double to left-center with 1 out in the bottom of the 5th.

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Santa Clara scores another run and now leads Gonzaga 4-1 after 6 complete innings.

It is just amazing that the Broncos have not won a WCC game this season up until
this evening and the Santa Clara pitcher is 0-7 coming into this game but the Broncos
lead this game over the Zags...

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After 7 complete innings, the Broncos lead the Zags 4-1.

Gonzaga has been held to only 3 hits...

Gonzales still pitching for the Zags and Marco has 10 strike outs on the night.

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In the top of the 8th inning, Gonzaga scores 3 runs and ties the game with Santa Clara.

With one out, the Zags tried to bunt the lead in from 3rd but the runner was thrown out at the plate.

Late in the inning with Zag runners on 1st and 2nd, the Gonzaga batter drove a hit into right field scoring the lead runner to tie the game. On the play, the throw from the outfielder got past the 3rd baseman and the Zag runner tried to score but was throw out at the plate.

Gonzales still pitching for Gonzaga in the bottom of the 8th.

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Santa Clara goes down in order in the bottom of the 8th.

Zags and Broncos are tied 4-4 going into the 9th inning.

Gonzales collects two more strike outs and now has 12 on the evening.

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The game goes into extra innings, the Zags and the Broncos are tied 4-4 after 9 complete innings.

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Gonzaga scores a run to take the lead with only one out.

The Zags opened the inning with a double...a sacrifice bunt advanced the runner to third...Gonzales was then intentionally walked giving the Zags runners on 1st and third...another sacrifice bunt scored the run anda error gave the Zags runners at 1st and 2nd...a wild pitch advanced the runners to 2nd and 3rd.

The Gonzaga batter was hit by the pitch loading the bases for the Zags still with only 1 out...a fly out to left field scores another Gonzaga run...the next Gonzaga batter flies out to end the inning.

Zags now lead 6-4...

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Santa Clara goes down in order in the bottom of the 10th...

Gonzaga defeats Santa Clara 6-4 in a come from behind win...

The Zags are now 29-14-1 overall and 16-6 in the WCC.

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Baseball Rallies Late To Upend Santa Clara 6-4 In Extras

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – In dramatic fashion, the Gonzaga University baseball became the first West Coast Conference team to earn its berth to the WCC Championship tournament Friday with a 6-4 extra innings victory at Santa Clara University. The Bulldogs scored three runs in the eighth inning and another two in the 10th to prevent the last place Broncos from winning its first WCC game.

The Bulldogs (29-14-1, 16-6 WCC) take one step closer to earning the No. 1 seed at the tournament in Stockton, Calif., and the regular season championship, while the Broncos (10-33, 0-19) continue to battle for a conference win.

Gonzaga trailed 4-1 entering the eighth before the bats came alive. The rally began with a one out walk to Mitchell Gunsolus. Caleb Wood then hit what should have been a routine fly ball out to left field but Bronco Justin Gisch dropped it allowing Wood to reach and Gunsolus to advance. Cory LeBrun then drove a ball down the right field line to score Gunsolus and get GU back in the game.

The rally continued with the bat of Clayton Eslick who got his second RBI of the game with a single to right field. Gonzaga nearly took the lead on an Alex Bonczyk single to right field but Steven Halcomb was thrown out at home on the play. After trailing most of the game, the three runs tied the game at 4.

The Zags struck again in the tenth. Wood opened the inning with a double and advanced to third base on a LeBrun sacrifice bunt. Halcomb reached on his sacrifice bunt after an error from the SCU first baseman as Wood scored the go ahead run. Brock Slavin brought home the insurance run with a sac fly to left field.

The 6-4 lead was enough for Kenny Smith (4-0) who retired the Broncos in order. Smith, who pitched two innings, gets the win and did not allow a Bronco base hit.

Marco Gonzales got the start for the Zags and put forth a valiant effort. Gonzales struck out a season-high 12 batters in eight innings of work. He allowed nine hits and four runs.

Santa Clara nearly pulled the upset thanks to a strong start from freshman Reece Karalus. The righty went seven innings allowing four hits and four runs. After allowing two hits in the first, Karalus retired the next 14 of 15 batters he faced before Halcomb singled in the seventh inning.

Gonzaga improves to 16-2 in night games and 4-1 in extra inning contests.

The 2013 season is the first time the WCC will use a four-team, neutral-site championship to be held at Banner Island Ballpark May 23-25. The top four teams in the final WCC standings will make the trip and only three spots remain with GU clinching the first.

The two teams will resume the series Saturday with Tyler Olson facing Mike Couch. The game is set for a 3 p.m. first pitch as the Bulldogs attempt to clinch the WCC regular season title.

Gonzaga Article Link

Gonzaga vs. Santa Clara Box Score Link