Zags, Cougs, Pirates have up-and-down weekend | College baseball notebook

Gonzaga squandered a lead in Game 1, then rallied late for a win in Game 2 before suffering a shutout loss in the finale of its road series against Texas State. Washington State’s offense sputtered during a shutout loss in Game 1, then the Cougars absorbed an agonizing extra-innings defeat before breaking through for a win Sunday at Cal Poly.

It’s been an unsteady start for the area’s two Division I baseball programs, both of which have two wins through the first two weekends of the season. WSU and the Mustangs play their series finale at 5:05 p.m. Monday.

In Division III play, Whitworth swept a road doubleheader against Saint Martin’s on Sunday after dropping both games of its DH against the Saints on Saturday. The Pirates improved to 4-7.

Gonzaga

The Bulldogs (2-5) have been led by their pitching staff early this season. GU’s pitchers fared well on Saturday and Sunday at Bobcat Ballpark in San Marcos, Texas, but weren’t as effective in the series opener, an 8-6 loss.

Gonzaga outhit the hosts 12-10 in Game 1, but the Bobcats (5-2) struck for four runs in the eighth inning to pull away after the Zags had led 5-2 in the fifth.

It was a tough start for GU’s All-WCC first-team ace, Finbar O’Brien, who allowed four runs on seven hits and four walks while striking out four in four innings. Chewelah product Zach Bowman took the loss, surrendering four more runs in three innings. But Gonzaga got a breakthrough effort from reigning conference player of the year Mikey Bell, who hit 3-for-5. Outfielder Ryder Young had a three-run homer, and catcher Luca DiPaolo had two doubles.

GU’s other first-team all-conference starter, Erik Hoffberg, shined in a 5-1 Game 2 win, striking out seven and ceding just two hits and one unearned run in seven innings. The Zags unlocked their offense in the seventh inning after managing five baserunners through six. DiPaolo had another double and senior outfielder Noah Meffert, a D-II transfer who’s been solid to start the year, capped the seventh-inning surge with a three-run double.

The Zags’ pitching staff performed admirably again in Game 3, but the lineup managed just four hits and one walk in the 5-0 loss. The Zags’ offense never really threatened – GU batters went down 1-2-3 in four innings, and just one runner reached third base.

Sophomore Gonzaga starter Karsten Sweum allowed four runs on four hits and three walks with five strikeouts over four innings, then four Bulldog relievers combined for no hits, four walks and one run the rest of the way. Texas State also only logged four hits, but the Bobcats had plenty of walks and used timely hitting in their three-run fourth inning to separate.

DiPaolo, a senior second-year Zag out of Southern California, leads the team so far with a .364 average and four doubles. Meffert is hitting .303 with three doubles and a team-high five runs. Bell, a junior infielder, had five hits this weekend to boost his average to .286. Gonzaga only has one home run so far, and the team is waiting on all-conference senior infielder Hudson Shupe (.148) to get going.

True freshman reliever Landon Hood (1-0), the reigning WCC Freshman of the Week, hasn’t allowed a run in 8⅓ innings. Hoffberg is now 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA and 13 strikeouts against six hits and six walks in 12 innings.

The Zags travel to No. 21 Oklahoma for a three-game series next weekend.

Washington State

The Cougs (2-4) would like to forget Friday’s series opener, a 9-0 loss to Cal Poly at Baggett Stadium in San Luis Obispo, California.

WSU was no-hit through six innings, and finished with two hits and 17 strikeouts. The Cougars couldn’t figure out Cal Poly starter Griffin Naess, who fanned 14 over seven innings.

In Game 2, Nick Lewis (0-1) gave WSU a strong start, pitching five scoreless innings as the Cougs took a 2-0. But once he exited, the Mustangs (4-2) tied it up, then eventually won it 3-2 in the 10th inning on a couple of mistakes from Cougar reliever Scott Rienguette, whose throwing error put a man on third before he tossed a wild pitch into the dirt, allowing Cal Poly to walk it off.

The Mustangs had seven of their 12 hits in the last four innings, while WSU finished with six hits with three doubles.

WSU regrouped on Sunday, riding impressive performances from four seniors to beat the Mustangs 8-3.

Senior starter Griffin Smith (1-1) went six innings, giving up two runs on six hits with two strikeouts. Senior shortstop Gavin Roy batted 3-for-4 with three RBIs. Senior outfielder Max Hartman hit 2-for-4 with two RBIs, two runs and a double. Senior first baseman Ryan Skjonsby also hit 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a double. Roy and Skjonsby sparked WSU in the eighth with RBI knocks and the Cougs plated four runs in the frame to pull away from a tight game.

The Cougs will try to make it two in a row on Monday against a talented Cal Poly team, which won the Big West Conference Tournament last year and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

Hartman leads the Cougs with a .333 average, two doubles, a homer and four RBIs. But no other WSU batters are hitting over .230 through six games. As a team, the Cougs are hitting just .205 with 40 hits, 17 walks and 67 strikeouts.

Lewis, a sophomore, has been the most reliable arm. He’s allowed three earned runs on eight hits through 9⅓ innings.

Whitworth

Whitworth was swept by Saint Martin’s in a doubleheader Saturday in Lacey, Washington, and the Pirates returned the favor Sunday.

Whitworth plated four runs in the 11th inning to beat the Saints 12-8 in Sunday’s opener, then rode starter Dylan Huntsman to a 4-2 win in seven innings.

In Saturday’s opener, Whitworth rallied with all of its runs between the fifth and eighth innings, but couldn’t overcome a big early deficit and fell 8-7. The Pirates’ hitters struggled in a 7-0 loss afterwards.

That wasn’t the case in Sunday’s opener, as Whitworth piled up 15 hits and five walks while striking out six times. The Pirates got clutch hits from catcher Rylan Davis and first baseman Carson Coffield to score four runs in the seventh and eighth innings, forcing extras.

In Game 2, Huntsman struck out six while allowing one run on three hits and two walks in six innings. Coffield sparked Whitworth to a 3-0 lead in the second inning and the Pirates leaned on their all-conference first-teamer to win it.

Coffield, a Mt. Spokane High grad, went 5-for-10 with two doubles and five RBIs this weekend. Reigning Northwest Conference Player of the Year Kyle Memarian hit 5-for-10 and scored seven runs.

Coffield leads Whitworth on the season with a .394 average, three homers, three doubles and 13 RBIs. Memarian is hitting .333 with seven RBIs, and West Valley High grad Caleb Gray is batting .325 with four doubles and two deep shots.

Huntsman (1-0, 3.21 ERA) leads the pitching staff with 13 hits allowed and 11 strikeouts over 14 innings.

Whitworth visits NWC foe Puget Sound for a three-game set next weekend.