Box Score
SPOKANE, Wash. --- Portland’s Riley Henricks hit a two-run home run and pitchers Zach Varce and Chris Dennis combined to hold Gonzaga to just four hits as the Pilots defeated the Bulldogs 2-1 in a West Coast Conference baseball game at Washington Trust Field on Friday night. The Pilots snap a nine-game skid and improve to 32-18 overall, matching the program’s second most wins in a single season.
The Pilots, who move to 12-7 in the WCC to remain in second place, also won 32 games during the 1989 season. The all-time record for wins is 36, which happened in 1980.
Henricks’ blast came with the game scoreless in the top of the third inning. With one out and freshman Nick Armenta on second base, Henricks took a 1-0 pitch to deep left-center field for his sixth homer of the year.
The two runs were all UP starter Zach Varce (6-2) needed, as the junior held Gonzaga (20-34, 8-11) to just one run on four hits in 7.2 innings. He struck out nine and walked two.
Dennis, UP’s record-breaking stopper, took over where Varce left off and picked up his 14th save of the year. After reliever Ed Wakefield walked the only batter he faced, Dennis allowed just one batter to reach, on a walk, in 1.1 innings of work. The junior right-hander struck out two and adds to his already program single-season and career best total in saves.
GU’s Cody Martin (5-7) is saddled with the loss after allowing Henricks’ long fly. He surrendered seven hits in 8.1 innings. Reliever Mark Phillips recorded the final two outs.
The Pilots outhit the Bulldogs 8-4 and neither team committed an error. Gonzaga’s lone run came in the sixth inning when Clayton Eslick registered an RBI double.
The Pilots and Bulldogs next play the second game of the three-game series on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. Sunday’s series and regular season finale is set for 1:00 p.m. as well.
