Box Score

SPOKANE, Wash. -- The No. 19 USD baseball team (20-9, 8-3) was shutout 3-0 at Gonzaga Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs' Justin Vernia threw eight shutout innings and the Zags scored a run in the fifth, sixth and eighth to win their second game in a row.

Hunter Mercado-Hood continued his stellar senior season with a leadoff double and then was advanced to third on a Jay Schuyler fly out. The next batter, Roman Garcia, grounded out to second and Mercado-Hood was thrown out at home.

After neither team scored for the first four and a half innings, the Zags got on the board in the bottom of the fifth with a bases loaded single to right by Justin Jacobs. That would be the last batter starter Chris Murphy would face. Jonathan Teaney relieved him and got the final out to end the inning.

The Bulldogs added a run in the bottom of the sixth on a Jake Roberts two-out RBI single up the middle.

Gonzaga tacked on an insurance run in the eighth inning with a Jake Vieth solo home run.

Chris Murphy (2-1) suffered his first loss of the season, giving up one run in 4.2 innings while throwing 97 pitches. Teaney pitched the final 3.1 innings, giving up five hits and two runs. Torero pitchers combined to strand 11 Gonzaga baserunners

The Zags' Justin Vernia (5-2) needed just 83 pitches to throw eight shutout innings. Wyatt Mills pitched the final inning.

The Toreros wrap up the three game series Sunday at noon.