March 31, 2008

Box Score

Spokane, Wash. - Jason Chatwood and Mark Castellitto recorded three hits a piece while starter Matt Fields posted a solid outing on the mound as the Gonzaga University baseball team took a 6-3 West Coast Conference decision over Pepperdine University Monday at Patterson Baseball Complex and Washington Trust Field.

The game served as the finale of a modified West Coast Conference series. Due to inclement weather over the weekend in Spokane, the series, which was slated to start Friday evening, was shortened to a pair of contests. The Waves (17-8, 1-1 WCC), who are garnering votes in the national polls, opened the series with a victory Sunday evening before Monday's tilt. The third game of the series will be played, as needed, at a later date in Malibu. The game will only be played if needed to determine seeding for the West Coast Conference Championship.

Fields (4-1) earned the victory for the Zags (16-11, 1-1 WCC) as the junior allowed two runs, one earned, on eight hits while striking out six over 6.0 innings pitched. Freshman Cody Martin earned his fifth save of the season as he allowed one unearned run on three hits over three fames. The Waves' starter Scott Alexander (3-2) suffered the loss allowing one run on four hits over 3.1 innings.

Chatwood opened scoring for the Bulldogs in the third frame as the junior hit a single up the middle to score Drew Heid. Heid led off the inning with an infield single before advancing to second on a error on the play.

Heid scored again in the fifth inning as Marcus McKimmy smashed a three-run home run over the left field wall to provide Gonzaga with a 4-0 lead.

Castellitto posted the Zags' second home run of the afternoon in the sixth as he hit a long ball over the left field fence to cap the Bulldogs' scoring. It was Castellitto's third home run of the season, as the sophomore drove in two runs, bringing the score to 6-0.

Pepperdine posted all three of its runs in the top of the seventh as the Waves' Trent Diedrich, Chase d'Arnaud and Nate Simon drove in runs.

For the shortened weekend, Castellitto led the Zags, going 4-for-7 with a triple, a home run, one run scored and two runs batted in.

The Bulldogs will return to the field Friday when they travel to San Diego for a rematch of the 2007 West Coast Conference Championship. The Zags will face No. 16 University of San Diego in a three-game series that opens Friday at 3 p.m.