Box Score

SPOKANE, Wash. --- The Gonzaga Bulldogs pulled away from the Portland Pilots for a 12-4 win in a West Coast Conference baseball game played on Friday night at the Patterson Baseball Complex. With a 2-1 lead after three innings, the Bulldogs would out-score the Pilots 10-3 the rest of the way en route to the win.
 
With the loss, Portland’s record drops to 25-21 overall and to 12-10 in the WCC. Gonzaga improves to 30-10 and to 10-9 in the conference.
 
The game was close early on when the Pilots pulled within a run after trailing by two entering the top of the third inning. That’s when Kris Kauppila hit a two-out single to center field, and Turner Gill followed with a double to left-center that scored Kauppila and pulled Portland within 2-1.
 
But the Bulldogs responded with two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning and four more in the fifth to take control of the game. GU would score two more runs in the sixth and another two in the eighth to claim a 12-1 lead. Portland added a three runs in the ninth.
 
Portland’s Kyle Kraus is saddled with the loss and is now 6-5 on the year. He pitched 4.0 innings, allowing six runs, five earned, on nine hits. He didn’t issue a walk and struck out two. UP followed Kraus with four relievers.
 
Tyler Olson (6-3) held the Portland bats in check during 8.0 innings of work, allowing just the one run on five hits. He walked one and struck out two. Reliever Derek Patterson struggled in the ninth, surrendering three Portland runs, before David Bigelow entered to record the final two outs of the game.
 
GU out-hit the Pilots 17-6, while the Pilots committed three errors to Gonzaga’s one.
 
Game two of this three-game set is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Saturday.