Late Zags Rally Falls Short at No. 20 Oregon, 10-5

Wednesday, April 26

Eugene, Ore.

5:05 p.m.

Gonzaga University

14-24

#20 Oregon

28-12

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Gonzaga	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	5	7	0
Oregon	0	2	0	0	2	1	1	4	X	10	11	0

Late Zags Rally Falls Short at No. 20 Oregon, 10-5

4/26/2023 8:10:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Stem slams three-run bomb in T1 to give GU early lead

EUGENE, Ore. -- Gonzaga jumped out to an early lead thanks to a three-run homer from Sam Stem and held the advantage until the fifth inning in its second nonconference game with No. 20 Oregon at PK Park on Wednesday, but didn't score again until the ninth as the Ducks (28-12, 11-7) plated runs in each of the final four frames en route to a 10-5 win.

Down 10-3 with just three outs left, Bulldogs (14-24, 10-8 WCC) loaded the bases with one out in the ninth and squeezed out two runs on walks, but a deep fly from Stem with two outs came just short of a massive momentum-swinging grand slam and stranded all three runners to end the game.

Enzo Apodaca's 3-for-4 outing led a seven-hit night for GU that saw Stem (1 R, 3 RBI), Brian Kalmer (1 R, 2 BB), Tommy Eisenstat and Donovan Ratfield all get a knock apiece. Grayson Sterling and Hank Dunn both scored runs in the ninth after drawing pinch-hit walks, and McGee drew two more walks to round out seven total base on balls.

Stem's tone-setting three-runner came after McGee and Kalmer drew one-out walks in succession, with the true freshman blasting his fourth no-doubter of the year out of right center. But the Ducks kept applying pressure after the Zags came up empty-handed for seven consecutive innings, culminating in a four-spot in the eighth that saw UO put up four runs on four hits – the last two of which were brought in on a wild pitch and a groundout.

LHP Bradley Mullan took the mound for his third start of the season, holding the Ducks scoreless in the bottom of the first but giving up a pair of runs in the second, striking out three and walking one. LHP Matthew Mueller took over for him in the third, opening with a 1-2-3 frame accentuated by a punchout but giving up two more runs in the fourth to be tagged with the loss despite not giving up a hit during his time on the mound. RHP Jack Moffitt (1.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB) and RHP Everett Swaim (2.0 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 2 K) closed things out for the Zags.

UP NEXT / FOLLOW THE ACTION
The Zags return home for West Coast Conference action against Pacific (13-25, 5-13 WCC) at Hertz Field and Patterson Baseball Complex April 28-30. Live stats and streaming options are available on GoZags.com — follow @ZagBaseball on Instagram and Twitter for live updates, highlights and more.