SPOKANE, Wash. - Despite getting ahead early, Santa Clara baseball lost at Gonzaga by a final of 8-3. The loss drops the Broncos to 18-14 overall and 1-7 in WCC play while Gonzaga moves to 24-9 and 5-3 in conference.
Starting for Santa Clara LHP Powell Fansler (5-3; 3.71) went 3.0 plus innings while giving up five runs, two earned, on five hits. He walked two ands truck out one. RF Stephen Takahashi went 2-2 with a home run and a walk while CF Matt Ozanne also had two hits, going 2-5.
The Broncos wrap-up their series with the Zags tomorrow, Sun., April 15 at 1 p.m.
Santa Clara scored first in the top of the second when LF Pat Stover led off the inning by reaching second on a throwing error by Gonzaga third baseman Eric Lane. After a strike out by 1B Andrew Biancardi and a walk to DH Drew Ozanne, 3B Matt Glomb struck out for the second out of the inning. C Zach Looney knocked a two-out RBI single to right field to put the Broncos up 1-0.
In the top of the third, 2B Greg Harisis led off with a bunt single. Takahashi sacrificed Harisis to second and M. Ozanne singled to center to put runners on the corners. Stover hit a sac fly to right to extend the Bronco lead to 2-0. M. Ozanne stole second in front of a Biancardi walk but was caught attempting to steal third to end the inning.
Gonzaga roared back to take a 3-2 lead in the bottom of third on only one hit. Lane led off with a walk and DH Payden Cawley-Lamb reached on an error by Biancardi. RF Royce Bolinger followed with a home run to left center to account for all three Gonzaga runs in the inning. Fansler settled down and got the next three batters in order.
The Bulldogs put up three more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. LF Brock Slavin doubled to left field to lead off and CF Alex Bonczyk was hit by a pitch before RHP Chris Mendoza came in to pitch for Fansler. C Maxx Garrett sacrificed the runners to second and third and the runners advanced again on a passed ball that scored the first run. Lane put down his second sac bunt of the game to bring in another run. Cawley-Lamb was hit by a pitch and Bolinger hit a single up the middle that put runners on the corners again. Eslick was hit by a pitch to load the bases and SS Steven Halcomb drew a walk to bring in another run. RHP Chris Heckert came into the game and got 2B Alex Stanford to strike out swinging for the third out.
Takahashi smoked a two-out home run in the top of the fifth to make the score 6-3 Gonzaga.
The Zags got the run back in the bottom of the fifth when Garrett homered to left field.
Bolinger singled to right field with one out in the bottom of the sixth and scored when the next batter, Eslick, doubled to center field to make the score 8-3.
In the top of the ninth Looney led off with a walk and SS Justin Viele singled to left to put two on with no out. Harisis grounded into a fielder's choice. With runners now on the corners, Takahashi walked to load the bases but M. Ozanne grounded into a double play to end the game and give Gonzaga it's second win of the series.