University of Washington
Gonzaga
Gonzaga Nips UW Baseball, 8-6, In Marathon
April 02, 2002 | Baseball
April 2, 2002
SEATTLE - Jeff Culpepper's bases-loaded, two-out single in the ninth inning drove in two runs to break a 6-6 tie and lead Gonzaga to an 8-6 win over Washington Tuesday evening in a non-conference, four-hour marathon at Husky Ballpark.
The Bulldogs (15-14) loaded the bases with one out before Husky closer Tyler Shepple (Arvada, Colo.) struck out Gonzaga slugger Nate Gold, who hit his school-record tying 21st home run of the season earlier in the game. Culpepper, however, followed Gold by lining a single through the left side of the infield on a full-count pitch. UW reliever Brian Barton (Richland) suffered the loss to fall to 0-1 as Washington's record dropped to 12-11-1.
After the Huskies took a 1-0 lead in the second on an RBI single from Aaron Hathaway (Vancouver/Columbia River), Gold put the Bulldogs ahead with a three-run blast in the third inning. Through only 29 games (and with 27 left to play), Gold, a senior from Centerville, Utah, has already hit 21 home runs, tying the GU single-season record, set by Jeff Hainline in 1984.
Washington fought back with single runs in the third and fourth. In the third, Mike Wagner (Woodinville) tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly from junior Jay Garthwaite (Kent/Kent-Meridian). In the fourth, shortstop Tila Reynolds (Renton/Liberty) singled to plate Michael Done (Littleton, Colo.), tying the score at 3-3.
In the fifth, UW freshman starter Will Fenton (Kingston/North Kitsap) loaded the bases to open the inning on a single and two walks, but reliever Scott Robertson (Mercer Island) struck out the next three Bulldog batters in a row to preserve the tie at 3-3.
Gonzaga went in front 5-3 with a pair of runs in the seventh. Culpepper led off with a double and Brian Munhall singled to put runners at the corners. After an out, Garth Blumberg and Kyle Rajsich drove in the two runs with back-to-back singles.
The Huskies scored three runs on two homers in the bottom of the seventh to go in front, 6-5. Tyler Davidson, a junior from Edmonds (Meadowdale) belted a one- out solo shot, his fifth of the year, before Bryan Johnson, a junior from Ephrata, came in as a pinch hitter and pulled a Brad Welker pitch over the wall in right with a man on.
But the Zags tied it back up in the eighth when Kevin Cave's single just over the outstretched glove of Reynolds at shortstop drove in Gold, who had doubled. Washington had the bases loaded with one out in the bottom of the eighth, but GU closer Eric Everson got a double play to end the threat. Everson (1-2) got the victory after working out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the ninth, striking out the final two Husky hitters.
Hathaway, the Huskies' freshman catcher, finished the day 5-for-5 with three singles and two doubles. Munhall had three hits to lead the Bulldogs.
The two teams go at it again Wednesday evening at 6:30 p.m. in the final game of the brief, two-game series.
LINESCORE Gonzaga 8, Washington 6 Gonzaga 003 000 212 -- 8 13 0 Washington 011 100 300 -- 6 16 1 Kyle Nearhood, Greg Brooks (5), Brad Welker (6), Eric Everson (8) and Brian Munhall. Will Fenton, Scott Robertson (5), Josh Conover (7), Greg Colburn (7), Trevor Gibson (7), Brian Barton (8), Tyler Shepple (9) and Aaron Hathaway. W - Everson (1-2). L - Barton (0-1). 2B - GU, Eric Rodland, Jeff Culpepper, Nate Gold, UW, Tyler Davidson, Hathaway 2. 3B - UW, Mike Wagner. HR - GU, Gold (21), UW, Tyler Davidson (5), Bryan Johnson (5). T - 4:05. A - 506.
