San Diego baseball sends Gonzaga to loser bracket at WCC Tournament

From staff reports

LAS VEGAS – The Gonzaga baseball team is headed to the loser’s bracket.

Top-seeded San Diego piled up five runs in the sixth inning and held on for a 10-7 win over the fourth-seeded Zags on Thursday during a West Coast Conference Tournament game at Las Vegas Ballpark.

The Bulldogs (20-31) took the lead in the third inning on a sacrifice fly and tied the score at 2-all in the fourth inning. GU was playing catch-up the rest of the way, after Angelo Peraza’s two-run single in the bottom of the fourth for the Toreros (38-13).

Jordan Hamberg scratched a run back for the Zags in the sixth inning with a RBI single to make it 4-3, but the Toreros responded with a two-run single, one-run double and two-run single to pull away.

Gonzaga scored three runs in the ninth with a sacrifice fly and two-run homer from Hamberg, who went 2 for 4 with a walk.

The Zags reserved some pitching for the rest of the tournament. Starter Liam Paddack (3-7) threw 5⅔ innings, allowing seven runs with five walks and four strikeouts. Reliever Finbar O’Brien pitched the rest of the game, allowing three runs.

Gonzaga continues tournament play Friday at noon against the winner of the late game between second-seeded Portland and third-seeded Saint Mary’s.

The winner of the noon game will play again at 8:10 p.m. and the winner will advance to Saturday’s championship round.