Kansas Baseball Drops Third Straight, 7-2 to Gonzaga

March 4, 2012

Final Stats

Gonzaga 7, Kansas 2 Wolff Stadium //San Antonio, Texas

Junior Thomas Taylor’s streak of 14 1/3 scoreless innings ended on Sunday in a 7-2 loss. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R KU 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 GU 2 0 0 0 1 3 0 1 x 7 Box Score (.pdf) Leaders – Batting Kansas AB R H RBI BB HR K. Kuntz 4 1 3 1 0 0 Z. Elgie 3 0 1 1 0 0 Gonzaga AB R H RBI BB HR S. Halcomb 5 4 4 2 0 0 R. Bolinger 5 0 3 4 0 0 Pitching Kansas IP H R ER BB SO T. Taylor (L) 5.2 10 5 5 2 3 T. Poppe 2.0 4 2 2 1 1 Jor. Luvisi 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 Gonzaga IP H R ER BB SO A. Hunter (W) 8.0 6 2 2 0 8 Z. Abbruzza 1.0 0 0 0 1 2

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Gonzaga starting pitcher Andy Hunter tossed eight strong innings, while center fielder Royce Bolinger went 3-for-5 and had four RBIs as the Bulldogs handed Kansas its third-straight loss, 7-2, during the final day of play at the UTSA Classic at Wolff Stadium.

The Jayhawks, which won their first four games of the season, fall to 5-5, while Gonzaga remains unbeaten at 10-0.

Hunter, a 6-foot-5 senior, allowed single runs to Kansas in the first two innings, but mowed down the Jayhawks after that. The senior retired 14 men in row, which started after Zac Elgie was hit by pitch with one out. He finished the game going eight innings and holding the Jayhawks to two runs on six hits with no walks and eight strikeouts.

KU scored its runs in the first two innings. Elgie collected his eighth RBI of the season on a bunt that he beat out for a base hit, which plated junior Kevin Kuntz, who led off the game with a single.

After Gonzaga took a 2-1 lead with a two-run double off Jayhawk starter Thomas Taylor in the bottom of the first, Kuntz equaled the score with a two-out RBI single to right. The junior shortstop led the Kansas offense, going 3-for-4 in the game.

The runs against Taylor were the first he allowed this season, ending a streak at 14 1/3 innings without giving up a run.

Taylor settled down to hold the Bulldogs off the scoreboard until the fifth. He finished the game going 5 2/3 innings, allowing five runs on 10 hits with two walks and three strikeouts.

With two outs and a runner on second base, Gonzaga second baseman Alex Stanford tripled down the right field line to break the 2-2 tie and plate what would hold up as the winning run.

The Bulldogs added insurance runs in the sixth, breaking the game open when Steven Halcomb doubled to left off relief pitcher Tanner Poppe, who entered with men on first and second and two outs. Bollinger then followed with another RBI hit as the ‘Zags opened up a 6-2 advantage.

The Jayhawks will look to end their three-game losing streak Tuesday when they host North Dakota at 3 p.m. in the home-opener at Hoglund Ballpark.