April 2, 2005

Box Score

(San Diego, CA) - Behind an outstanding pitching performance from sophomore Josh Butler, San Diego defeated Gonzaga 2-1 Saturday afternoon at USD's Cunningham Stadium. Butler limited the Zags to just one run on five hits spanning eight innings and Torero closer Matt Falk came on in the ninth to earn his fifth save.

San Diego (19-16-1; 5-6 WCC) will attempt to win its second consecutive West Coast Conference (WCC) divisional series tomorrow, when the weekend set with Gonzaga (17-10; 4-3 WCC) continues at 1pm.

Butler (5-4) and Bulldog starter, lefty Patrick Donovan (4-4) were locked into a pitcher's dual before San Diego initiated the scoring with a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh.

Jordan Abruzzo led off the USD seventh with a double down the leftfield line off Donovan and an RBI-bunt single by junior outfielder Tyler Fernandes moments later gave the Toreros a 1-0 lead. Shortstop Steve Singleton followed with a two-out RBI double to give San Diego a two-run cushion, which was enough for Butler and Falk against a Gonzaga team that had totaled 20 hits in the opener Friday.

Butler wins his second consecutive WCC start, striking out five and dropping his season ERA to 2.67 in the process. Donovan, who was named the WCC Pitcher of the Week on Monday, fanned six and walked just two but was tagged with a complete-game loss.

San Diego, 4-10-1 this season at home, wins its first game at Cunningham Stadium since a 6-2 victory over St. Mary's on March 6th.