March 22, 2009
Box Score
Spokane, Wash. - Despite two solo home runs, the Pacific baseball team suffered a 5-4 loss to Gonzaga, completing a series sweep at the hands of the Bulldogs on Sunday, Mar. 22.
The loss dropped Pacific to 7-12 on the season, while Gonzaga moved to 14-5 overall following their eighth consecutive victory.
Junior RHP Hunter Carnevale (Roseville, Calif.) took the loss in the game, dropping to a 1-3 record in 2009, while RHP Steven Ames won his fifth straight contest for the Bulldogs. Pitcher A.J. Proszek tallied his second save in the game, after recording his first against Pacific on Friday.
For the second-straight day, Pacific jumped on the board first in the top of the first inning. Senior Joe Oliveira (San Diego, Calif.) drew a walk after a full-count pitch and advanced to second on a wild pitch during sophomore Brian Martin's (Livermore, Calif.) at-bat. Martin followed that up with a single through the right side of the diamond to move Oliveira over to third. One out later, senior Mike McKeever (San Diego, Calif.) drove in Oliveira for an RBI when he flied out to right field for the sacrifice out.
Gonzaga retaliated with a sacrifice fly of its own to score a run in the bottom of the second, while both teams remained tied at 1-1. Gonzaga came back in the bottom of the third for three more runs to take a 4-1 lead.
However in the fourth inning, Pacific put up one more run to cut the deficit at 4-2, when senior Joey Centanni (San Diego, Calif.) recorded his first RBI of the afternoon. Centanni singled through the left side of the field while senior Kurt Wideman (Fallbrook, Calif.) stood at second base, to score Wideman from second with one out. Wideman reached first when he drew a six-pitch walk to lead off the top of the fourth inning.
Pacific kept chipping away at the Bulldogs' lead when they posted another run in the top of the sixth, trailing 4-3 after a solo home run from junior Mike Walker (Marysville, Calif.). Walker's shot bounced off the top of the left field wall and then fell out of the park, as opposed to landing back on the field for a double. The home run was his second this season.
After Pacific came back, so did Gonzaga off of the Tiger bullpen. Pacific walked in one more run in the bottom of the sixth, to give the Bulldogs a 5-3 cushion.
The Tigers were given one more chance in the top of the eighth, as Centanni tried his hand at scoring another run. With two outs, Centanni launched a second blast over the left field wall to score himself and become the final run of the game when Pacific trailed 5-4.
Pacific returns to action on Friday, Mar. 27 as the Tigers open Big West Conference play by hosting UC Davis in the first of a three-game series at Klein Family Field at 5:35 p.m.
