Gonzaga Snaps Long Losing Streak

College baseball

Gonzaga University snapped its 19-game losing streak Saturday.

The Zags’ attempt at a two-game winning streak fell just short.

Todd Hughes’ no-out, bases-loaded single in the bottom of the 10th inning allowed Santa Clara (17-15, 7-8) to defeat GU 6-5 for a split of their West Coast Conference doubleheader.

GU (3-22, 1-11) won the opener 9-7 on the strength of a seven-run second in which George Arnott, Luke Gradishar and Kevin Workman had RBI hits.

Kevin Taylor went 3 for 5 as the Zags won for the first time since Feb. 27, a 4-3 win over Washington.

GU was in position to win the nightcap when Adam Stokey hit his second homer, a two-run shot in the top of the eighth, for a 5-all tie. But the first three Broncos reached base off Brian Newton (0-2) in the 10th, setting up Hughes’ game-winner up the middle.

Kyle Bowers hit a two-out, three-run homer in the seventh as visiting Pacific Lutheran defeated Whitworth 5-4 in the first game of a doubleheader sweep in the Northwest Conference of Independent Colleges.

Paul Baurichter homered and doubled as the Lutes (13-9, 2-3) won the second game 9-5.

Whitworth (6-9, 4-5) led the opener 4-2 after a three-run fifth, highlighted by Tim Bishop’s fifth homer, a solo shot. The first game ended with an unassisted double play, the second game with a force out at second on a bases-loaded grounder.

Jason Grove hit for the cycle as Washington State defeated the Cougars alumni 18-11 in an exhibition.

Grove singled in the fourth, doubled in the fifth, tripled in the seventh and homered in the eighth. He also started on the mound, allowing one earned run in four innings.

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