College baseball: San Diego rallies past visiting Gonzaga 5-4

From staff reports

An infield error from Gonzaga provided the go-ahead run in the eighth inning for the San Diego Toreros, who held on for a 5-4 win over the Bulldogs on Friday evening at Fowler Park in San Diego in a matchup between two of the top teams in the West Coast Conference.

The Toreros (28-12, 12-4 WCC) overcame an early 3-0 deficit with three home runs in the fourth inning, then tied the game at 4-4 in the sixth with a run on an infield throwing error.

San Diego’s Justin DeCriscio singled with two outs in the eighth, then scored from first base on a misplayed groundout to GU’s middle infield. The Zags (17-21, 12-4) went down in order in the ninth.

Gonzaga’s Jordan Hamberg and Josh Hankins had back-to-back RBI hits in the first inning as the Bulldogs went up 3-0. The Toreros responded in a big way during the fourth with solo home runs from DeCriscio, Jack Costello and Ariel Armas.

The Zags managed four hits on the night – three in the first three innings. San Diego totaled nine hits.

Gonzaga starter Justin Feld went 4⅔ innings, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out six. Payton Graham (1-4) finished the game and took the loss after surrendering two runs on three hits.

San Diego starter Josh Randall struck out eight while allowing four runs on four hits in five innings. Reliever Ivran Romero (6-1) fanned five batters over three hitless innings.

Gonzaga outfielder Vincent Temesvary hit a solo home run, his team-leading sixth homer of the year, in the fifth inning.

The teams meet for Game 2 of the series at 5 p.m. Saturday.

Fresno State rallies past WSU

Fresno State took the lead with a two-run ninth inning and handed Washington State a tough loss Friday night in a nonconference game at Bailey-Brayton Field in Pullman.

The Bulldogs (26-15) opened the ninth with a single and double, then scored on a groundout and plated the go-ahead run on a fielding error at third base. WSU (18-22) absorbed its fifth straight defeat and lost for the ninth time in its past 10 games.

The Cougars scored in the first inning and preserved a 1-0 lead for four innings behind a strong outing from starting pitcher Grant Taylor, but the right-hander started to crack in the sixth. He allowed an RBI double and a two-run home run, and the Bulldogs went up 3-1.

WSU’s Jacob Morrow and Logan Johnstone had RBI knocks in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game at 3-3. Outfielder Alan Shibley hit an RBI double in the eighth to make it 4-3.

Taylor struck out 10 and gave up three runs on four hits over seven innings. Closer Duke Brotherton (4-5) yielded two hits in the ninth and took the loss.

WSU totaled nine hits, with four doubles. Fresno State had seven hits.

Fresno State starter Jake Dixon worked 5⅓ innings, allowing three runs on five hits.

Game 2 of the series is set for 6 p.m. Saturday.

Notable

WSU football legend Gardner Minshew, who quarterbacked the Cougs to an 11-win season in 2018, threw the first pitch.

Minshew, now of the Las Vegas Raiders, joined several other prominent WSU athletics figures – past and present – in Pullman this weekend for the CougsFirst! QB Classic golf tournament fundraiser event.

Entering his sixth year in the NFL, Minshew signed a reported two-year, $25 million deal with Las Vegas last month.