University of Washington
Gonzaga
Larsen's Double Lifts UW Past Zags, 10-9
March 22, 2004 | Baseball
March 22, 2004
SPOKANE, Wash. - First baseman Kyle Larsen delivered a two-out double in the top of the ninth to break a 9-9 tie and lift the Washington baseball team to a 10-9 win over Gonzaga Monday afternoon at Avista Stadium.
The Huskies (12-6-1) had fought back from a 4-0 deficit after an inning, scoring in each of the next four to take a four-run lead of their own at 9-5. However, the Bulldogs tied the game at 9-9 in the seventh when left fielder David Johnson belted a grand slam down the right field line.
UW junior reliever Jamie Hawkins (1-0), who surrendered the grand slam, retired the nine of the next 10 batters he faced to close out the game and pick up the victory. Gonzaga reliever Bobby McEwen (0-2) gave up only two runs over four innings, but suffered the loss.
In the top of the ninth, singles from Aaron Hathaway and Nick Batkoski put runners at first and second for Larsen, whose hard grounder towards first might have been playable by the GU first baseman if not for a bad hop that send it sailing into right field. It ended up rolling into a new construction area for a ground-rule double.
The Zags (8-13) got the scoring started in the bottom of the first. With the bases loaded on a hit batter, a single and a walk, David Johnson reached on an infield single to send home Marshall Bratton. Right fielder Matt Reding followed with a double down the right-field line to plate two more and a Brad Welker groundout drove in Johnson, giving Gonzaga a 4-0 lead after one.
Washington posted two in the top of the second to cut the Bulldogs lead in half. A bloop single from DH Tyler Mach drove in one run and Brent Lillibridge walked with the bases loaded to force in another. A bases-loaded double play, however, ended the rally.
In the bottom of the second, Jeff Culpepper's two-out RBI single extended the Zags' lead to 5-2.
In the third, the UW batted around, scoring four on RBI singles from John Otness, Ben Johnson, Mach and Nick Burnham to take the lead, 6-5. In the fourth, Hathaway led off with his third home run of the year. In the fifth, Hathaway singled to drive in Lillibridge, extending the Husky lead to 8-5.
Mach, a freshman from Kent, led off the sixth by greeting new pitcher Bobby McEwen with a home run down the left-field line, his third of the season.
UW junior David Dowling, who hadn't pitched since the season's opening weekend due to an injury, worked two and one-third no-hit innings in relief, striking out three.
Mach finished the game 4-for-4 with a homer, a walk and three runs batted in. Hathaway also had four hits, going 4-for-6 with two RBI. Otness added three singles in six at bats.
The Huskies and Bulldogs play their fifth and final game of the year against one another Tuesday with a 2:00 p.m. game at Avista Stadium. The UW opens Pac-10 play with a three-game series at Arizona State beginning Friday.
LINESCORE Washington 10, Gonzaga 9 Washington 024 111 001 -- 10 17 0 Gonzaga 410 000 400 -- 9 9 0 Josh Conover, David Dowling (4), Jamie Hawkins (7) and Ben Johnson, Aaron Hathaway (8). Patrick Donovan, Eric Everson (3), Bobby McEwen (6) and Kiel Thibault. W - Hawkins (1-0). L - McEwen (0-2). 2B - UW, Kyle Larsen; GU, Matt Reding, Jeff Culpepper. HR - UW, Aaron Hathaway (3), Tyler Mach (3); GU, David Johnson (3). T - 3:05. A - 143. Records: UW 12-6-1, GU 8-13.
