LAS VEGAS – After 11 days of rest, the University of San Diego Toreros were back on the diamond as the No. 1 seed in the West Coast Conference tournament at Las Vegas Ballpark in Las Vegas, Nev. 

In their first game of the double elimination conference tournament against No. 4 Gonzaga Thursday, the Toreros (38-13, 20-4 WCC) plated five runs in the sixth inning, that included a two-RBI single by Austin Smith to extend USD's lead, en route to a 10-7 win. 

Smith, who is usually the Sunday starter, got the start against the Bulldogs (20-31, 14-10 WCC) Thursday, a team that USD swept during the regular season in late April at Fowler Park. Smith went 5.2 innings, allowing three hits, three runs, while walking one and striking out one hitter to move to 6-0 on the season with a 3.14 earned run average. 

After Gonzaga started the scoring in the top of the third inning, right fielder Jakob Christian hit his 23rd home run of the season, a two-run blast to right field to open the scoring for the Toreros. It began a stretch of the Toreros scoring at least one run in three of its next four innings to open the lead. 

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• Gonzaga opened the scoring in the third inning on a sacrifice fly after a Bulldogs single and double. 
• The Toreros immediately responded in the bottom of the third inning as the lineup started to get a second look. Senior second baseman Angelo Angelo Peraza led off the inning with a base hit to left and then two batters later, Christian hit a home run to the opposite field, giving USD a 2-1 lead. 
• With two outs in the fourth, Gonzaga struck back with an RBI double to tie the game at two apiece. 
• Striking back continued to be the theme. In the Toreros' half of the fourth inning, Peraza hit a two RBI single to left field, driving in Jack Costello and Justin DeCrisio to take a 4-2 lead.
• In the sixth inning, Gonzaga recorded a two-out RBI single to cut the deficit down to one, 4-3.
• Smith then delivered with the bat after being on the mound by getting a two-out, two RBI single, scoring Peraza and Gurevitch. Up next, Armas hit a bloop double to right to score Christian. The two-out Toreros rally continued as Jack Costello hit a two-RBI single up the middle, plating Smith and Armas, capping off a five-run sixth inning. 
• The two-out hitting continued in the seventh as Gonzaga got one back with two outs in the seventh on a single to center field, making it a 9-4 game. 
• The San Diego offense threatened in the seventh by loading the bases, but was unable to score, keeping their five-run lead heading into the final two innings. 
• USD were able to score in the eighth, courtesy of DeCriscio, who hit an RBI double, scoring Armas. 
• Gonzaga put up three runs in the ninth innings on a sacrifice fly and a two-run home run. But their comeback 

ON THE MOUND

• Following the sacrifice fly that plated the first run of the game by Gonzaga in the third inning, Toreros left-handed pitcher Austin Smith took a comebacker off the glove and it trickled out to Peraza, who barehanded it and threw it to first base to leave a runner stranded at third base. 
• Smith went 5.2 innings, allowing five hits and three earned runs. He struck out one and walked one. After Smith allowed the two-out RBI single in the sixth, redshirt senior Conner Thurman came on in relief and was able to get out the sixth inning on two pitches with a flyout to left. 
• Despite allowing a run in the seventh inning Thurman was able to get out of the frame and end his job. Thurman went 1.1 innings allowing three hits and an earned run while striking out two.  
• Graduate transfer Vaughn Mauterer came in to pitch in the eighth inning as the second man out of the bullpen. After getting the leadoff man out, he allowed a hit by pitch and a walk, forcing head coach Brock Ungricht to bring in left-hander Calvin Shapira. 
• Schapira got two strikeouts, with a walk sandwiched in between to leave the bases loaded and get out of the inning.  
• Schapira continued on in the ninth inning. After allowing a couple of hits to get runners on the corners, the graduate transfer got a strikeout and a flyout for the first two outs of the inning 

TORERO TIDBITS

• San Diego recorded its eighth straight victory as well as their 16th win in their last 17 games. 
• Thursday victory marked the 13th time this season the Toreros offense has plated at least 10 runs in a game.  
• Jakob Christian hit his 23rd home run of the season, which only trails Kris Bryant's 31 home runs in 2013 for the most in a single season in Toreros history. 
• Four different Toreros – Peraza, Christian, Smith and Costello – each recorded two RBIs in Thursday's win to balance out the offense throughout the lineup. 
• Christian gets his 60th RBI of the season and Costello gets RBI No. 57 of the season, which rank fourth and fifth, respectively, for most runs batted in a single season. (Next: Greg Sain (1999) and Kevin Reese (2000) both had 66 RBIs)
• USD recorded its fourth victory against Gonzaga this season after sweeping a three-game series in late April. 
• Peraza and Armas recorded three hits against the Bulldogs to pace USD in that category. It marked Peraza's seventh three-hit game this season and first since the finale of the three-game series against Gonzaga on April 28. Armas recorded his fourth three-hit game of the season and first since April 5 against Loyola Marymount. 

 
UP NEXT 
With the victory Thursday afternoon, USD heads to the winner's bracket of the West Coast Conference Tournament and will face No. 2 Portland at 4:05 p.m. on Friday at Las Vegas Ballpark.