Brandon Bailey keeps Arizona State at bay as Gonzaga pulls off upset, 5-1

Brandon Bailey pitched a strong seven innings and the Gonzaga Bulldogs did their damage early as they pulled off the 5-1 upset over the higher seeded Arizona State Sun Devils on Friday.

Bailey exited the game after throwing 125 pitches and striking out five. Most importantly, he kept Arizona State from ever getting into the game at all. Considering that Gonzaga knocked out Arizona State pitcher Seth Martinez just 2.1 innings into the game, it looked like a sure thing that the Zags would advance.

T Jones helped power the offense in the first and the second innings as the Zags slowly chipped away at Martinez. Martinez would finish the game giving up nine hits and five earned runs, and his 2.1 innings pitched matches his shortest stint at Arizona State.

Nick Brooks hit a deep double to left in the third inning to make it 5-0, and Bailey continued to shut the door on the Sun Devils, at one point retiring six straight batters.

He also got some help from the defense.

Prior to today, the Zags were just 2-16-1 all-time against Arizona State, but their third win couldn't have come at a better time. The Gonzaga Bulldogs increased their chances of advancing through the double-elimination regionals by a huge amount.

The Zags are scheduled to play tomorrow, and the game will be broadcast on 1510 AM.