SPOKANE, Wash. – Gonzaga University surrendered four ninth-inning runs to the University of Portland to drop the second game of its West Coast Conference series 6-2 to the Pilots at the Patterson Baseball Complex and Washington Trust Field Saturday afternoon. Gonzaga (20-35, 8-12 WCC) had starting pitcher Ryan Carpenter post a season-high nine strikeouts in 6.2 innings and Cameron Edman hit game-tying solo homer in the sixth before a couple miscues in last two innings did in the Zags. Portland improved to 33-18 overall and 13-7 in WCC play. With the game tied at 2-2 to start the bottom half of the eighth, Clayton Eslick opened the inning with a base-hit through the right side. Mark Castellitto followed with a line drive single through the left side to put runners on first and second. Billy Moon then laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance Eslick and Castellitto up a base. Portland then called upon its closer Chris Dennis who immediately walked Chris Sturdivant on four pitchers to load the bases but battled, escaping the inning by striking out Edman and getting pinch-hitter Andy Hunter to pop out to end the Zags scoring threat. Portland took the lead with four runs in the ninth, recording four hits and taking advantage of a pair of errors by Bulldogs to push across the deciding runs. Gonzaga reliever Mark Phillips surrendered a base-hit to start the inning before a pair of throwing errors on back-to-back sacrifice bunts led to the Pilots taking a 3-2 lead. Matt Mardesich later drove in the final three runs of the inning with a three-run homer to make it 6-2. Both teams traded runs in the opening frame as UP took advantage of passed ball in the inning to eventually pick up a run on a RBI ground out. Gonzaga saw Drew Heid and Steven Halcomb each open the Zags first inning by earning walks. Eslick was then hit by a pitch to load the bases for Castellitto for hammered an 0-1 pitch deep to right field but right into the teeth of the wind blowing in that kept the ball in the yard, resulting in a sacrifice fly that scored Heid. The Pilots picked up a run in the second before Carpenter settled in, posting scoreless frames in the next 4.2 innings including perfect third and fifth innings. The big lefthander came out with two outs in the seventh with two runners on as Phillips came on to record the final out of the inning to keep it at 2-1. Portland starter Owen Jones retired the first two hitters to start the bottom of the sixth before Edman jumped all over the first pitch he saw, launching his fourth homer of the season high over the left field fence that tied the game at 2-2. Phillips took the loss for the Bulldogs after allowing four runs in the ninth. It was his team-leading 27th appearance of the season, tying him with Bruce Molina (1985) and Kevin Toliver (1984) for the most appearances in a season. Carpenter allowed just four hits and one earned run in his start while Castellitto finished with a pair of hits for the Zags. Heid had his 11-game hitting streak come to an end and will enter the final day of the season tied with Larry Patterson for the most hits in a season at 91. Patterson set the record in 1977. Gonzaga and Portland will close the out their series 1 p.m. Sunday. Gonzaga will honor seniors Brian Yardley, Drew Hied, Mark Castellitto, Jacob Hiatt, Liam Baron, Kyle LaHonta and Jeremy Stumetz prior to the game. Stumetz will start the season-finale on the mound for the Bulldogs.
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