Donovan, Bulldogs shut out No. 12 Arizona State
Patrick Donovan gave Gonzaga University a cause for celebration on Sunday.
The junior left-hander fired seven shutout innings to carry the Bulldogs to a 2-0 victory over the 12th-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils in the final game of the Coca-Cola Spring Training Tournament at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Ariz.
It was the first time Gonzaga has beaten the Sun Devils in 11 all-time meetings.
The Bulldogs improved to 3-3 on the season, while Arizona State dropped to 6-4.
Gonzaga pushed across single unearned runs in the fourth and fifth innings.
In the fourth, Jeff Culpepper reached base on a two-out single, stole second and scored when Sun Devils freshman center fielder J.J. Sferra misplayed a flyball off the bat of Bobby Carlson.
Gonzaga’s run in the fifth came when Matt Hibbitts reached first on an error by ASU second baseman Joe Persichina and scored on a two-out RBI single by Scott Campbell.
Donovan shut down the mighty Arizona State offense, holding them to four hits, while striking out three. After escaping a bases-loaded jam in the second inning, he did not allow a runner past first base the rest of the day. He improved to 1-1 on the season.
Sophomore lefty Chris Albrecht pitched two scoreless innings to earn his first save of the year.
“This was a great win for our program,” said Bulldogs coach Mark Machtolf. “I thought Patrick Donovan pitched outstanding today as well as Chris Albrecht. The players came out and played extremely hard today and deserve this win.”
The Bulldogs return to action on Feb. 25 when they host the Utah Valley State Wolverines in a three-game series at Columbia Basin College in Pasco.
Junior hockey
Mike Senseman found the net with 44 seconds remaining in overtime to lift the Spokane Braves to a 3-2 victory over the visiting Castlegar Rebels in a Kootenay International Junior Hockey League regular-season finale.
Senseman finished with two goals and an assist for the Braves, who head into the postseason on a 9-1-2 hot streak.