May 11, 2014

Box Score

SPOKANE, Wash. -- Jimmy Sinatro's RBI double snapped a 2-2 tie, driving home Caleb Wood with the go-ahead run, as Gonzaga rallied from a run down to pull away for a 5-2 win over UC Davis in a shortened six-inning series finale at the Patterson Baseball Complex in Spokane on Sunday afternoon.

The contest was called early due to the Aggies' travel curfew which stated that no new inning would begin after 4:50 p.m., dropping UC Davis to 20-27 overall on the year. The Bulldogs, who rebounded from a series-opening loss to take two-of-three on the weekend, improved to 22-26 overall.

Trailing by a run entering the fourth, senior Steven Patterson gave the Aggies a short-lived lead, coming up clutch in a pinch-hit role. With the bases loaded, Patterson's one out ground ball to short was thrown away as Gonzaga tried to turn two, allowing Nick Lynch and Spencer Henderson to come home for a 2-1 advantage.

Patterson's plate appearance was his first in almost a month after suffering a foot injury against Sacramento State on April 15 at Dobbins Stadium.

UC Davis held the Bulldogs off the board in the fourth, but Gonzaga came up big in the fifth to take the lead for good. A walk to Mitch Gonsolus brought Wood to the plate with one out, and the Bulldogs' second baseman worked the count full before laced a double to left, tying the game.

After a pop-up for the second out of the inning, Gonzaga kept the pressure on as Sinatro's double broke the deadlock and Sam Brown and Cabe Reiten added RBI singles as nine batters came to the plate in the decisive inning.

Kenny Smith (2-5) earned the win in relief for the Bulldogs, allowing just one hit and striking out three in 2 2/3 innings of work. Evan Wolf (3-5) suffered the loss for the Aggies, charged with five runs on nine hits, walking three and striking out one in six innings.

UC Davis left five on base for the game, including three in scoring position. Lynch finished 2-for-3 for his 15th multi-hit performance of the season, while Tino Lipson, Tanner Bily, and Izaak Silva, each collecting hits. Silva's second-inning double extended his hitting streak to seven games while Lipson reached base safely for the 12th consecutive contest with a third-inning single.

The Aggies return to the field on Tuesday night (May 13), closing out their eight-game road trip with a mid-week clash against Sacramento State at 7:35 p.m. at Raley Field in Sacramento. General admission tickets for the game will be available for $10 (adults) and $5 (students and children), while parking will be $5 at the stadium.

Gonzaga 5, UC Davis 2 (May 11, 2014 at Spokane, Wash.)
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UC Davis............ 000 200 - 2 5 0 (20-27)
Gonzaga............. 010 040 - 5 9 3 (22-26)
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Pitchers: UC Davis - Wolf, Evan and Silva, Izaak. Gonzaga - JONES, Taylor; SMITH, Kenny(4) and HARRIS, Joey.
Win-SMITH, Kenny(2-5) Loss-Wolf, Evan(3-5) T-1:54 A-520
Weather: 62, sunny, 6 mph NE