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Patterson Baseball Complex was a time machine this weekend: the 2011 Lobos played exactly like 2010 Bulldogs.
Inexperienced, impulsive at the plate, and scattered on the mound, UNM showcased just how hard key graduations can hurt a successful program . The three-game series was a testament to the transformation Mark Machtolf's Zags have undergone in the last nine months. Gonzaga (16-8-1) outscored New Mexico (9-20) 26-6 en route to their second straight home series sweep.
Read below the jump for series recap and analysis
Fans who came to games at PBC this weekend were treated to some of the best baseball Gonzaga has played this season. The Bulldogs were aggressive in every facet of their game and it paid off.
Students came out in relative force on Friday night and saw Ryan Carpenter throw seven scoreless innings, while Cody Martin picked up the save for the 3-0 victory. I'm thrilled to see how comfortable Carpenter is after his injuries in 2010. He was hitting the high 80s with his heater and his pitches were darting with late movement. Royce Bolinger, Eric Lane, and Billy Moon all had multi-hit games.
Moon's success continued throughout the weekend, and he burst past the .400 mark to an astounding .415 (as of tonight). He swung early in the count in almost every at-bat and pounced on first-pitch fastballs constantly. He was in the leadoff spot for a good portion of this season but has since been moved into the three hole. AND he's only a sophomore (winning, duh!).
Saturday was just a bizarre day, with 21 runs, 29 hits, and three errors between the two teams. Oh yeah, and hail/snow. Yeah, it happened in April. Tyler Olson started out strong but eventually gave up two runs and six hits before being yanked in the seventh. It took UNM four pitchers to finally finish the game. When it was all over, the Zags put up a 17-4 final. 18 players got at-bats for GU, it wasn't even a contest after the fifth inning.
You know you're in Spokane when fans show up to a ballgame in shorts...and it's 45 degrees outside. But the sun wasn't the only thing shining this afternoon: freshman moundsman Marco Gonzalez threw his second consecutive complete game and put the Lobos away 6-2. He was rewarded for his previous start with a Rawlings WCC POY award last week. Gonzaga only produced seven hits, but they only stranded five runners, which is low in their book. Bolinger broke the game open in the fifth with a three-run bomb that brought Moon and Keegan Acker across.
GU gets tomorrow off, and finishes the home-and-home with WSU Tuesday night at PBC, 6pm. For a look at the Cougs, scroll down the page and read last week's WSU preview.