April 2, 2004

Box Score

(Spokane, WA) - The Toreros dropped the opening game of a West Coast Conference division series to Gonzaga 10-5 Friday afternoon in Spokane. Freshmen Jordan Abruzzo and Keoni Ruth both homered for a San Diego (14-17) team that is now 2-8 in league play. Gonzaga (10-17) totaled 15 hits and chased USD starter Tom Caple during a four run third inning. Bulldog starter Eric Dworkis threw his second consecutive complete game to pick up the win, his fourth.

Caple (1-7) allowed five earned runs on six hits over two and a third innings of work. Sophomore reliever Justin Blaine came on to pitch the rest of the way, surrendering nine hits and five runs while fanning six. The Toreros are now six games behind division leading Loyola Marymount in the WCC's Coast Division standings.

Offensively, Abruzzo went 3-for-5, homering for the second time this season and driving in a pair of runs. Freddy Sandoval hit his ninth double and knocked in Caple in the top half of the first inning to allow USD a 1-0 advantage. Jose Ortega was 3-for-4 with a double and Ruth hit a solo shot in the sixth.

The Zags responded to the early USD lead by tying the score with a run in the bottom of the first and took a commanding lead with four more runs in the third. DH Bratton Marshall was 4-for-5 and both Kiel Thibault and Aaron McGuinness homered off Caple.

The three-game set continues with game-two Saturday at 1pm.