Gonzaga Baseball Loses Twice in Scottsdale, Eliminated From WCC Tournament
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Gonzaga Bulldogs shortstop Ricky Sánchez shouts after a two-run single against San Francisco during the WCC Tournament. Credit: Gonzaga Athletics [/caption]
Despite cruising through the regular season conference slate by winning 22 of 27 games, Gonzaga baseball (35-19) sputtered during the WCC tournament in Scottsdale, falling twice in the double-elimination style bracket.
First punched in the mouth by Saint Mary’s, the Zags were defeated 13-4 on Thursday, but still had the security blanket of playing another game. But instead of taking advantage of its position as the No. 1 seed, GU lost again on Friday, unable to complete a comeback against San Francisco after falling behind early. Each of the team’s two first-team All-WCC starters didn’t provide the outings they’ve grown accustomed to logging, while the offense also lacked juice and cohesion, specifically in the power department.
The ramifications of the Bulldogs’ early departure from the conference tournament are severe: even as a top-50 team in the country per RPI heading into the postseason, the WCC was a one-bid league more likely than not. By not winning a game in Arizona, the Zags might’ve played themselves out of any shot at an at-large bid, which would mean their season is already over.
Winners Bracket Quarterfinals: 5-seed Saint Mary’s wins 13-4
Just like in Justin Feld’s last start, the first batter he faced ripped an extra-base hit off the senior right-hander. Gaels leadoff man Tanner Griffith drilled a 3-1 fastball into the right-center alley that centerfielder Bo Shinkle had a beat on. But although he got to the spot, the ball kicked off his glove as he slammed into the wall, and Griffith wound up with a triple. Diego Castellanos would rip the next pitch through the left side, and the Zags were suddenly down a run before they recorded an out.
The Bulldogs got a couple of baserunners on in each of the first two frames but couldn’t bring any of them in against Saint Mary’s starter Sam Kretsch. Then, with two outs in the third, Noah Meffert barreled a double that carried over the centerfielder’s head, and Ryder Young, who singled earlier in the inning, raced around to tie the game. The next batter, Hudson Shupe, would drop a soft liner into right that gave Gonzaga a 2-1 lead.
Responding immediately were the Gaels, however, as they utilized beanballs and small ball to create a rally. After a leadoff double in the fourth, a sacrifice bunt moved the runner to third. Feld then drilled Brady Petit in the lower back, which put runners on the corners with one down. It set the table for nine-hole hitter, Cody Kashimoto, to drop down a safety squeeze out in front of the mound. Attempting to glove flip home was Feld, but the runner beat the tag and tied the game.
Griffith walked to load the bases before Feld hit Castellanos in the side of the knee with a slider to force the go-ahead run in. Makoa Sniffen delivered the big blow by pulling a breaking ball down the left field line, scoring two more on a double and chasing Feld. Garrett Gores induced a groundout that plated another run and a punchout to escape the frame, but the Gaels had put up a five-spot.
It was a different tune for Feld this time around against Saint Mary’s. After tossing seven innings of two-run ball against the Gaels back on April 17, they tagged him for seven hits and six runs a month later while only striking out once.
Kretsch, on the other hand, limited damage against the potent Zags offense. Giving up just two runs across six frames, he picked up a quality start with six punchouts. It was a redemption outing for Krestch after he allowed four earned runs in two innings to Gonzaga during a 14-4 loss.
SMC would tack on by scoring in four of the final five frames against each of GU’s four relievers it deployed, including three guys who haven’t gotten much run this season in Jared Glenn, Carson Boyer, and Michael Cuneely.
Going down quietly was the Zags’ offense, who logged three 1-2-3 innings following Saint Mary’s five-run frame. They would scratch two across in the ninth, the only inning other than the third where they managed to piece some hits together. Gonzaga would finish the game with Meffert’s double being its lone extra base hit of the contest.
Losers Bracket Quarterfinals: 3-seed San Francisco wins 6-5
In a win-or-go-home situation, it was once again an unfamiliar outing for a Bulldogs’ starting pitcher.
After Karsten Sweum no-hit the Dons over seven innings less than two weeks ago, the southpaw struggled to get out of the first inning, now facing USF in the elimination setting. Sweum struck out the leadoff man but issued back-to-back walks to put himself into trouble. The at-bats were indicative of how San Francisco was now seeing the WCC Pitcher of the Year, being much more selective and forcing him into the strike zone.
A passed ball by Jacob Wrubleski moved both runners up a bag, before Jackson Nystrom fought off a fastball into shallow right. It landed just beyond the reach of the second baseman, Shupe, to bring in the game’s first run. Eddison Esquivel would then strike a single up the middle to plate the Dons’ second run. Sweum got the next hitter to pop out, but on a 3-2 pitch, Tyler Harries dropped a soft liner over the leaping try of Mikey Bell at third, and both runners came around to score after running on the pitch. To cap it all off, Jayden Garrison hit a hard grounder past the diving shortstop Ricky Sánchez to bring home a fifth run in the opening inning.
Sweum got a strikeout to finally close the frame, but not before he had thrown 39 pitches, with just 16 of them being strikes.
With their backs to the wall, Gonzaga’s lineup initially responded as they have for much of this season. Following two quick outs in the second, it was the bottom of the order that provided a rally to get back into the game. Three straight singles by Shupe, Wrubleski, and Tommy Eisenstat – who all stayed up the middle or opposite field in their swings – scored the Zags’ first run. Nine-hole hitter Bo Shinkle worked a walk to load the bases, and Sánchez finished a nine-pitch at-bat with a hard single back up the box to plate two more, knocking Dons righty Adrian Valdez out of the game. Bell walked to fill the pillows again, but a groundout by Ryder Young brought the rally to a close.
So what GU needed was Sweum to provide a shutdown inning, in order to swing even more momentum their way.
Instead, USF tallied two hits against him to put runners at the corners with one out, and that was all Bulldogs head coach Mark Machtolf needed to see. WCC Freshman of the Year Landon Hood was called in for relief, who likely would’ve gotten a start in Scottsdale if the Zags were to win at least one game.
Nystrom hit Hood’s second offering for a sinking flyball to right. The runner at third had to wait momentarily with Meffert coming on strong, but he still managed to slide past the throw home and get a run back for the Dons. Hood would allow a walk in the inning but struck out two to escape with no further damage, which was his case for the remainder of the game.
Sitting down 11 in a row at one point, the first-year right-hander was nails in holding the line and keeping San Francisco at bay. He would finish the rest of the game on the mound, going 6 2/3 shutout innings while fanning eight on 98 pitches, only surrendering three hits and two free passes.
Pulling out a similar script to the inning prior, it was once again the Zags’ 6-7-8 hitters who sparked offense in the third. First, Shupe legged out a tapper back to the pitcher after he and the first baseman miscommunicated. Wrubleski crushed the next pitch off the wall in left-center for a double, and Shupe scored easily from first. Then Eisenstat stroked a single the other way, and USF’s relay that involved the cutoff man initially nabbed Wrubleski at the plate, but he was adamant that he was safe. The call was indeed overturned after review, and all of a sudden, GU had trimmed its deficit to one.
But that was as close as Gonzaga would get.
Even though they got at least one man on base in five of the final six frames, the Zags could not push across the game-tying run. In the eighth, two walks were erased on a 4-6-3 double play off the bat of Bell, the conference’s Player of the Year. So even with Hood’s heroic effort, the Bulldogs went down quickly and quietly in the ninth and altogether during their final ever WCC tournament run. They didn’t get expected performances from many of their all-conference players, specifically the heart of their order and two frontline starters. Offensively, GU was unable to string hits together and didn’t bring the same power to the table either, finishing with just three extra base hits over the two games – all of them doubles.
Now, Gonzaga does not control its own destiny, needing some fortune with the selection committee on Monday in order for its season to continue. They entered Friday as the No. 55-ranked team according to RPI, but are poised to drop even farther following the result of the game with San Francisco. If the Zags don’t hear their name called for the NCAA tournament next week, it will be a sudden and disappointing conclusion to what was otherwise a fantastic and historical season.
