March 30, 2018 Final Stats
MORAGA, Calif. -- Another pitchers' duel decided by late runs took place Friday in game two of the West Coast Conference series between Saint Mary's and Gonzaga, with the Bulldogs emerging victorious this time thanks to a two-out, bases-clearing double in the seventh to even the series at 1-1 on a 3-0 win at Louis Guisto Field.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- For the second day in a row, both starting pitchers held their opponents scoreless through the first five innings. In fact, on Friday they both went an inning longer with no runs allowed than Nick Frank and Daniel Bies did on Thursday.
- Kevin Milam (4-1) shut out Gonzaga for six frames, working around base runners in four of them. He struck out seven, including the side in the fourth. His counterpart Alek Jacob shut out the Gaels for 7 2/3 innings, scattering three hits and allowing five free passes (three walks, two hit-by-pitches) while striking out five.
- After stranding four runners in the first five innings - two in scoring position - Gonzaga (13-11, 4-4 WCC) finally broke through by taking advantage of three free passes in the seventh. Austin Pinorini led off the inning with a walk and moved to second on a sac bunt. Another walk from Milam set up a double play, but a groundout to first base put two runners in scoring position with two outs.
- Carson Breshears came to bat and fell behind in the count 1-2, but was hit by a pitch to load the bases. That's when leadoff batter Ernie Yake stroked the first pitch he saw down the left field line to clear the bases, knock Milam out of the game and give the Bulldogs a 3-0 lead.
- Saint Mary's (14-10, 4-4 WCC) had a few opportunities Friday but could not cash in. It left seven runners on base, two in scoring position. Jackson Thoreson nearly scored the game's first run in the fifth trying to score from second on a Joey Fiske single, but he was thrown out at home plate from left field. The Gaels also had a leadoff single from Matt Green in the ninth and got Austin Chauvin in scoring position with one out in the eighth but did not score any runs.
NOTABLE NUMBERS - 0: The Gaels were shutout for the first time this season. Though offensive production is down from a year ago (4.17 runs per game through 24 contests compared to 5.75 through the same time in 2017), the Gaels had still managed to score at least one run in every single game this season until Friday.
- 1st: Saint Mary's suffered its first home loss of 2018 Friday. They were 4-0 at home entering the day, snapping what was a 10-game home winning streak dating to the end of last season.
- 4: Saint Mary's had just four hits, matching a season low. The Gaels are 0-3 this season in games where they had four hits. They also committed four errors Friday, matching a season-high (0-2 in those games).
- 8: Brett Rasso laid down his eighth sacrifice bunt of the season. He entered Friday's game already ranked No. 12 in the NCAA in sacrifice bunts.
COMING UP - The rubber match of the series takes place at 1 p.m. Saturday. Saint Mary's lefty Ken Waldichuk is scheduled to throw against Gonzaga's lefty Mac Lardner. Tickets are available for purchase on SMCGaels.com or by calling the SMC Ticket Office at (925) 631-GoTx. Fans can find all live coverage links on SMCGaels.com.
