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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

College baseball: Gonzaga opens season with walk-off victory over New Mexico

From staff reports

Gonzaga baseball didn’t wait long into its season to drum up drama as the Bulldogs scored twice in the bottom of the ninth inning Friday to top New Mexico 4-3 in a nonconference season opener in Surprise, Arizona.

Trailing by a run with the bases loaded and one out, GU third baseman Brett Harris was hit by a pitch to score the tying run. The next batter, first baseman Andrew Orzel, reached on a fielder’s choice to score Stephen Lund.

Harris finished 1 for 3 with two RBIs and a run for the Bulldogs, who collected just four hits.

Gabriel Hughes went 6⅔ innings for the Zags, allowing two runs on five hits with seven strikeouts. Alec Gomez earned the win in 2⅓ innings of relief.

Gonzaga faces Kansas State at 4 p.m. Saturday in the second of four games at the Sanderson Ford College Baseball Classic.

Washington State 11, UC Davis 1: Kodie Kolden had three hits and scored twice as the Cougars thumped the Aggies in a nonconference season opener in Davis, California.

Preseason All-American Kyle Manzardo hammered a three-run home run in the fifth for WSU. The blast extended Manzardo’s hitting streak to 18 games, dating to the 2019 campaign.

Zane Mills earned the win for the Cougs, allowing one unearned run on five hits in 6⅓ innings.

The teams take the field again Saturday for a doubleheader beginning at 11:30 a.m.