Box Score
PORTLAND, Ore. --- The No. 22 Gonzaga Bulldogs got just enough offense and some quality pitching to edge the Portland Pilots 6-3 in a West Coast Conference baseball game on Friday afternoon at Joe Etzel Field. Junior C Rocky Gale hit his second home run of the season for the Pilots.
After taking a 2-0 lead into the fourth inning, the Pilots (18-17, 2-8 WCC) surrendered at least one run to the Bulldogs (25-10, 7-3 WCC) during each of the next five innings. Gonzaga reliever Ryan Carpenter would hold UP scoreless covering the final four innings to pick up the win.
GU starter Matt Fields lasted 5.0 innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits and three walks. The righty struck out seven.
Carpenter (5-3) gave up just three hits, while striking out one and walking none.
The Pilots scored the games first two run in the bottom of the third inning. First, Gale led off the frame by drilling a solo home run to left field. Freshman SS Kris Kauppila followed with a double and then scored on a two-out single up the middle by senior 1B Cort Carpenter.
GU cut the lead in half with one run in the top of the fourth. Anthony Synegal led off with a solo home run to right field. The Bulldogs then tied the game at 2-2 with a run in the top of the fifth. With runners on first and third and one out, Mark Castelliotto hit a single through the left side of the infield off of UP starter Kyle Kraus. Tyson Van Winkle scored on the play, tying the game.
But Portland had a response and put a run together in the bottom half of the fifth. After Kauppila led off with a single to center, sophomore OF Craig Smith laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt. Sophomore 2B Riley Henricks followed with a run-scoring single to center field, giving the lead back to the Pilots at 3-2.
The Bulldogs answered with the tying run in the top of the sixth and the go-ahead runs in the top of the seventh. A solo home run by Ernesto Ortiz tied the game at 3-3 in the seventh and a two-run blast by Synegal gave the Bulldogs a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Synegal's second homer of the day was a two-run no-doubter that almost cleared the tree beyond the left field fence.
GU added another run in the top of the eighth inning to make it 6-3.
Kraus picks up the loss and drops to 3-4 on the season. He allowed five runs on 12 hits and two walks in 6.1 innings. The freshman right-hander struck out four.
Relievers Brent Miller, Keeler Brynteson and Matthew Lange followed Kraus on the hill. Lange struck out the only two batters he faced.
The Bulldogs finished with a 14-9 advantage in hits.
Portland and Gonzaga next play the second game of their three-game series at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. The series finale is set for 1:00 p.m. on Sunday. The start to Friday's game was delayed by an hour and 15 minutes due to a drainage issue at Joe Etzel Field.
