Box Score Stockton, Calif. – Despite battling back from deficits twice, the Pacific Tigers lost 5-3 in 11 innings to the Gonzaga Bulldogs Saturday night. Freshman Ricky Reynoso pitched nine innings while allowing just one run, setting a new career high in innings pitched. An error in the 11th proved costly as two runs scored on it, giving Gonzaga the cushion they needed to pull out the victory. Pacific is now 9-15 overall and 3-5 in the WCC.
After setting new career bests in innings, hits allowed, runs allowed, and strikeouts in his last outing, Reynoso started off doing the same with a 1-2-3 first and another strikeout. He would start the game with five scoreless frames, making it 12 in a row after his seven-inning, no-run, nine-strikeout performance last time out. He has now allowed one run in the last 16 innings he ahs pitched.
It was the second game in a row that Reynoso set a career high in innings pitched. After going seven shutout against San Francisco, Reynoso pitched nine innings but came away with a no decision as the game went to extras tied 1-1. The freshman struck out five and gave up four hits, the second game in a row he has allowed five or fewer baserunners. He also lowered his home ERA to 2.84.
Eli Morgan matched Reynoso for much of the game, going seven innings and giving up just one run on four hits. Morgan also struck out eight batters. Only two men moved into scoring position against the Gonzaga sophomore, who gave up his only run via a homer.
Fineas Del Bonta-Smith ended up with the loss in the game, dropping to 2-2. Gonzaga's Wyatt Mills earned his second win of the year with a four-inning, eight-strikeout relief appearance.
Louis Mejia reached base safely with a single through the left side to start the second. Mejia has recorded a hit or walk in 22 of Pacific's 24 games this year and has hits in 14 of his last 16. Unfortunately, Mejia was thrown out trying to steal second for his first caught stealing of the year. After starting the season 13-for-16 in stolen bases, Pacific has been successful in just two of its last six attempts.
Lucas Halstead also walked in the second to increase his team-leading total to nine this year. Halstead has four walks in WCC play, just one off the conference-leading total.
The Tigers put their first man in scoring position in the third. Kevin Sandri drew his fourth walk in the last seven games. J.J. Wagner reached base on a hit-and-run when the catcher leapt forward to try and get a jump on the ball and was called for interference, putting Wagner at first.
Gio Brusa made it to first on a wild pitch following a swinging strikeout to load the bases. After going 0-for-seven last night with runners in scoring position, the Tigers started tonight 0-for-four, leaving the bases loaded. Pacific would record hits in their next three RISP opportunities, however.
Reynoso's streak of seven straight retired ended in the fourth with a one-out walk. That was it though, as Reynoso put up two straight flyouts to record his 11th straight scoreless frame over his last two starts.
A single in the fourth by Blake Barry kept Pacific's streak of at least one baserunner every inning alive. Barry now has a hit in every one of his starts this year and is hitting .364 as a starter.
Reynoso earned his third strikeout of the game when he tied up the batter with an inside pitch to end the fifth. The strikeout gave Reynoso 12 in his last 12 innings after he recorded 11 strikeouts in his first 25. He would end the day with five strikeouts to make it 14 in his last two starts.
Gonzaga had their second hit of the day in the sixth with a leadoff triple that bounced around in the rightfield corner. It was just the sixth hit Reynoso has allowed in his last 12.1 innings of work and would lead to the first run allowed in that time. The runner would come around to score on an RBI groundout.
The lead was short-lived for Gonzaga as Brusa demolished the first pitch he saw for his third homer of the year in the bottom half of the inning. Brusa sent the ball over the wall in deep right center. It was the second homer in three games for the senior, who now has three runs, two doubles, two homers, and six RBI in his last four games to go along with a .471 average. As an outfielder, Brusa has hit .355 with four runs, three doubles, and six RBI.
Pacific and Gonzaga traded scoreless innings from there, with the pitching on both sides flabbergasting hitters. Reynoso continued to deal while Gonzaga's Mills came on in relief and struck out the first four men he faced during a stretch that saw the Zags retire 13 straight Tigers.
Gonzaga took the lead again in the tenth with a homer over the leftfield wall on a 2-2 pitch.
Once again it was Brusa that came through in the clutch for the Tigers to tie it. Wagner reached on a catcher's interference for the second time, followed by a searing single to center from Danny Mayer. Brusa worked deep into the count before blasting a single to center that fell in front of the centerfielder and was deep enough to allow Wagner to coast in to score.
Gonzaga led off the eleventh with a double to center and ended the inning with a three-run lead. The Zags had runners on the corners when Jake Roberts singled to center. Barry tried to throw out the runner advancing to third but the throw was late. The Tigers then relayed over to second where Roberts was sliding in. The ball slid under Mejia's glove and bounced all the way into foul territory, clearing the bases and making it 5-3.
The Tigers put together another rally in the bottom of the inning as they worked to get the three runs they needed. Nate Verlin and Barry both walked, followed by a J.P. Yakel single to load the bases. Sandri followed suit with a near-identical single to score one and keep the bases juiced. The single gave Sandri hits in 10 of 12 home games, as he leads the team in home batting average at .410.
Unfortunately, the one run was all she wrote for Pacific. A questionable strikeout call made it two outs before a groundout ended it at 5-3 Gonzaga.
The final game against Gonzaga will be Dads and Daughters Day, coming tomorrow at 1:00 pm. Tickets for the game are available online.
Make sure to follow Pacific baseball on Twitter with the username @PacificBaseball and on Instagram at pacificbaseball.
