Romanski allows Toreros to tie series
Having watched the ace of his pitching staff get knocked around by the Gonzaga Bulldogs one day earlier, University of San Diego coach Rich Hill was in desperate need of a pick-me-up pitching performance from one of his Toreros on Saturday afternoon.
He got exactly that from Josh Romanski, a sophomore left-hander, who survived a shaky start to give Hill 7 2/3 innings of solid work and lead 20th-ranked USD to a 4-1 West Coast Conference baseball win over the Zags at Washington Trust Field.
Romanski struggled through a difficult first inning and then muffled GU’s bats for the better part of the next six to help USD (23-11, 1-1) avenge Friday’s 6-3 loss to the Bulldogs (17-15, 1-1) in which teammate Brian Matusz, one of the premier collegiate pitchers in the country, was touched for 10 hits and six runs.
“We definitely needed this win today,” said Romanski, who was named the WCC’s freshman of the year last season. “When your Friday guy, like Brian, maybe doesn’t have his best outing, you just try to pick up the team any way you can.”
“He’s done that all year,” Hill said of Romanski, who gave up only four hits and a first-inning run before handing the ball over to freshman closer AJ Griffin (5-1), who picked up the win when the Toreros broke a 1-1 tie by scoring three times in the ninth off GU reliever and loser Chris Highmark (2-6).
“With Josh, it’s all about efficiency – a low pitch count, tons of strikes and keeping hitters off balance. And he gave us that again today.”
Romanski, who came in with a 4-1 record and 3.61 earned-run average, gave up a leadoff double to Evan Wells, hit one batter and walked another before balking in GU’s only run of the game in the opening inning. But he was nearly untouchable during the rest of his stay on the mound, scattering four hits and retiring 14 consecutive batters during one stretch.
“He struggled early,” Gonzaga coach Mark Machtolf said of Romanski, who is also USD’s regular center fielder and leading hitter. “But then he found his groove and did a great job. He’s just good, it’s that simple. That’s why he has the numbers he had.”
Romanski’s effort was enough to offset another splendid performance by Bulldogs starter Clayton Mortensen, a senior right-hander, who struck out five and allowed seven hits and one run in seven innings.
Mortensen, like Romanski, gave up a run in the first inning before digging in and holding the Toreros scoreless over the next six.
The Toreros took control in the ninth when Highmark gave up three hits – including run-scoring singles to Justin Snyder and Jordan Abruzzo – and a sacrifice fly.
GU made things interesting in its half of inning, cobbling together a one-out walk to Dustin Colclough along with singles by Aaron McGuinness and Shawn Wayt to load the bases and get the potential winning run to the plate.
But Griffin retired the next two hitters on a foul out and strikeout to seal the deal for the Toreros.
“We kept battling. I was proud of that,” Machtolf said. “We gave ourselves a change in that last inning. With the bases loaded and the wind blowing out, one good swing and who knows? But then we didn’t finish it.”
The teams will wrap up their three-game weekend series this afternoon at 1, with San Diego’s Matt Couch (4-1, 4.18 ERA) scheduled to pitch against the Bulldogs’ Brandon Harmon (3-4, 4.71).