Gonzaga Baseball Treads Water, Splits Four Games at Home
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Gonzaga Bulldogs pitcher Justin Feld (21) prepares to throw a pitch against the Santa Clara Broncos at Steve Hertz Field at the Patterson Baseball Complex. Credit: Gonzaga Athletics [/caption]
The response from Gonzaga baseball (29-17, 16-5 WCC) after its 14-game winning streak was snapped was always going to be something to watch, and the early returns are somewhat of a mixed bag.
Facing the second-worst team in the conference in Santa Clara for a three-game set on their home turf and then matching up with Washington State for the third time this season, the Zags split the four games as they saw performance drop-offs from two areas that have otherwise boosted them over the last month. Now with just two series left in the regular season, including a big one on the road against San Francisco this weekend, GU will need to get back to playing the brand of baseball that led to their impressive run.
What are the current concerning trends in the Bulldogs’ play?
Lackluster Outings From Starters, More Heroic Efforts From Bullpen
Offense is naturally inflated at the collegiate level, so when you get dependable starting pitching consistently, it does wonders for a team’s chances to win ballgames. That’s what Gonzaga has gotten recently from Friday and Saturday starters Justin Feld and Karsten Sweum, but neither one of them had their stuff on the mound this past weekend versus the Broncos.
Feld walked the first two batters he faced in the opening game of the set, one of whom came around to score. Then after walking a man with one down in the second, he served up a two-run shot down the right-field line. Settling down during the next three frames, he went out for the sixth, still with a chance to log a quality start. But Santa Clara struck a double and a single off Feld to chase him, and both Broncos eventually scored. His final line was 5 1/3 innings, seven hits, four walks, five earned runs, and four strikeouts.
Although he did allow the inherited runner to score, reliever Garrett Gores kept Santa Clara scoreless for the remaining 11 outs. He scattered four walks and three passes to escape his 3 2/3 innings of work with no damage done.
On Saturday, Sweum worked around a two-out single to hang a scoreless first, then received four runs of support when he went back out for the second inning. But just like Gonzaga did the half-inning prior, four of the first Broncos of the frame reached base and swatted two home runs in the process, one of which was an inside-the-parker off of Maddox Haley’s glove in right-center. The next Santa Clara batter hit a slow chopper to third that was lost by Mikey Bell in the sun. The runner wound up at second base and came around to score on an RBI single.
Sweum managed to hold the line and get through five innings with no further dents to the scoreboard, giving the rest of the team a chance to eventually eke out a 7-6 victory, but those blowup innings can’t become a recurring theme for the southpaw.
Landon Hood eventually came in to get the final seven outs, all of which he recorded via strikeout as he picked up his fourth save of the season. For his efforts, Hood was awarded his third straight Freshman of the Week honor and sixth overall as he lowered his ERA to 2.75.
Sunday’s starter Finbar O’Brien’s struggles continued, as his ERA ballooned to 7.01 after allowing seven hits and five earned runs in the game’s first two innings. It was also a rare hiccup from the relievers, as Joe Thornton and Erik Hoffberg each gave up three runs as well.
Gabe Brabec got his fourth start of the season against Washington State and struggled with his command from the jump. After the Cougars loaded the bases with two outs, the junior right-hander walked back-to-back hitters to plate a couple of runs. Then, Brabec walked the leadoff man in the second, who scooted to third after an errant backpick attempt from the catcher Jacob Wrubleski. Head coach Mark Machtolf had seen enough, lifting Brabec after 1+ inning of work and in the middle of an at-bat.
Needing to cover 24 outs, you couldn’t ask for much more from Jared Glenn and Zach Bowman out of the bullpen. Each of them only allowed one run earned in four innings apiece, furthering the Zags’ relievers’ exceptional run in long-man situations.
Offense Falls in a Rut Before Breaking Out Late in Win Over Wazzu
Big innings have been a luxury for the Bulldogs’ offense this season, mixing various extra-base hits with walks and singles frequently. But dating back to last week’s loss to Oregon, they have struggled to string hits together as of late.
Even though they tallied seven hits and walks apiece in Friday’s 5-3 defeat, the Zags only had more than one hit in an inning once. They notched just three extra base hits – a couple of solo homers from Wrubleski and Ryder Young, as well as a two-bagger by Ricky Sánchez.
The tune seemingly changed during Saturday’s win, when GU put up a four-spot after four of the first five hitters reached, including a three-run blast by Noah Meffert. It wasn’t completely smooth sailing from there on out, but Gonzaga posted three additional innings with multiple hits to scrape three more runs across.
But after getting put in an early hole, the Bulldogs’ bats went out with a whimper in the rubber game. Mikey Bell’s three-hit day and Ryder Young’s two-run blast were the highlights, but hitters four through nine in the lineup went a combined 1-for-20 in the 12-4 loss.
Although, perhaps facing Washington State pitching again was the remedy the Zags needed to get their offense back in a groove. After Monday’s 10-5 win over the Cougars, GU officially outscored its future Pac-12 foe 45-21 in the three victories over them this season.
Racking up 18 hits in eight trips to the plate, every starter but Hudson Shupe recorded a knock, and seven of them had multi-hit games. Most impressively, Gonzaga did it by not hitting a ball over the fence, evidenced by its nine-hit, seven-run sixth where 12 men were sent to the dish.
There have been glimpses of less clean baseball than what they’ve been accustomed to this year, but the Zags still have everything in front of them with two weeks remaining in the regular season. The Dons are three games back from first place, so the Bulldogs control their own destiny to clinch a conference title. Cleaning up their showings on the mound, at the plate, and in the field should be enough to catapult Gonzaga to a series win in San Francisco.
