Gonzaga rallies past Sac State for fourth straight victory

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Austin Pinorini and Jake Vieth both hit home runs and the Gonzaga Bulldogs scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning to rally past the Sacramento State Hornets 6-3 in nonconference baseball action on Monday for their fourth straight victory.

Pinorini smacked a two-run homer in the top of the third inning to knot the score at 2 after the Hornets scored single runs in the first and second innings off Bulldogs starter Mac Lardner. Lardner pitched 4 2/3 innings and allowed the two runs on three hits and a walk, while striking out four.

San Diego jumped back in front in the bottom of the sixth off Gonzaga reliever Taylor Davis, who got through the rest of his two-inning stint unscathed to pick up his first win of the season.

Davis (1-1) was the beneficiary of the Zags’ seventh-inning rally. Troy Johnson kick-started the rally by drawing a one-out walk. Vieth followed with a single up the middle to send Johnson to second base. Jace Vandebrake doubled down the left-field line to score Johnson and move Vieth to third. Vieth scored and Vandebrake advanced to third on Gunnar Schubert’s infield single and a throwing error. Branson Turbe had a run-scoring groundout to cap the rally.

Sac State put two runners on base in the bottom of the seventh, but GU reliever Calvin LeBrun came in and got the final out. Casey Legumina pitched two scoreless innings to close out the game and picked up his second save of the season.

Vieth capped GU’s scoring with a solo home run in the ninth.

GU, in the midst of a 16-game road trip to open the season, will travel to Texas to play four games against Rice, starting with a doubleheader Friday.