ST. GEORGE, Utah – Utah Tech baseball walked off with the 7-6 win in the first ever meeting with Gonzaga on Tuesday at Bruce Hurst field. The Bulldogs took a 4-0 lead in the first, but the Trailblazers would eventually battle back to tie the game in the sixth before a walk-off single in the ninth.
After falling behind 4-0 in the first inning, Utah Tech (8-11) battled back for three in the third and one in the fourth to tie the game at four. Gonzaga (2-12) responded immediately with two runs in the fifth inning on a home run from
Mikey Bell and an RBI single from
Gage Mestas.
The Trailblazers got both runs back on one swing from Finnegan Stewart, a two-run home run in the sixth. The game would hold steady despite traffic in each frame by either team.
A walk led off the ninth, followed by a sacrifice bunt and hit-by-pitch, setting the stage for Ethan Royal's walk-off knock for Utah Tech.
Ryan Hernandez (L, 0-1) was the losing pitcher despite the final blow coming off of
Gabe Brabec. Talan Kelly (W, 1-1) earned the win after three shutout innings in relief for Utah Tech.
Gonzaga has now lost eight consecutive same-season games for the first time under
Mark Machtolf.
UP NEXT
The Zags will return to Washington state, traveling to Seattle to face the University of Washington this weekend in a three-game series at Husky Ballpark. They will stay west one more day to face Seattle at Bannerwood Park on Monday. Game times and streaming are available at www.gozags.com.
-GoZags.com-