diego gutierrez vs. gonzaga 3/20/26 - credit thomas christensen
Thomas Christensen
6
Gonzaga GON 7-12, 0-1 West Coast Conference
7
Winner San Diego USD 8-12, 1-0 West Coast Conference
Gonzaga GON
7-12, 0-1 West Coast Conference
6
Final
7
San Diego USD
8-12, 1-0 West Coast Conference
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Gonzaga GON 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 4 6 10 1
San Diego USD 1 3 1 1 0 0 0 1 X 7 13 1

W: Gutierrez, Diego (2-2) L: Hood, Landon (2-1)

Game Recap: Baseball | | By Breven Honda | Freelance Writer

Gutierrez and Moran Help USD Open WCC Play with Win Over Zags

San Diego hangs on to beat Gonzaga 7-6 on Friday night in hard-fought West Coast Conference opener at Fowler Park

SAN DIEGO — A fresh new start halfway into the 2026 season might have been what San Diego Baseball needed. 

Despite losing 10 straight games entering their West Coast Conference opener Friday at Fowler Park, the Toreros (8-12, 1-0 WCC) scored six times across the first four innings to win 7-6 over Gonzaga (7-12, 0-1 WCC).

"True colors come out of how you respond when things don't go your way," head coach Brock Ungricht said after the game. "We talk about it day in and day out. It's like a parallel to life. Because hard times, tough times, make tough men, tough people. And all our guys continue to do, day in and day out, is come in here and compete each and every day. They don't give up on each other, and they don't give up on the goal of coming in here every day, getting after it, and trying to play San Diego Baseball."

Leading 6-2 in the bottom of the eighth, the Toreros added on for a key insurance run.

Andrew Gauna recorded his third hit of the night on a check-swing grounder to the second baseman. After stealing second, he took third on a grounder to short before dashing home and scoring on a ball hit by Gage Mestas, who played against Gonzaga for the first time since transferring to USD. 

That theme of aggression on the basepaths was present all night long as the Toreros scored early and often. 

Gabe Springer hit a single on the first pitch of the game and stole second. After moving to third base on a sacrifice fly by Jayden Lobliner, he scored on an RBI groundout by Connor Meidroth. 

CJ Moran led off the second by launching his second home run of the season (a towering drive into the trees beyond the right center field wall) to double San Diego's lead and make it 2-0. 

"I think that's the hardest one I've ever hit before," said Moran, who mentioned that he recently shortened his stride to more effectively get to the fastball. "It went a long way. So I'm happy that happened." 

Lobliner continued the frame with his first hit of the evening as Jayton Greer trotted home. Then, while Meidroth was at the plate, a wild pitch moved Springer and Lobliner 90 feet. A Gonzaga throwing error followed, allowing Springer to score and cap off a three-run second inning as the Toreros took a 4-0 lead. 

San Diego scored once in both the third and fourth innings to plate six unanswered runs to begin the game. Gauna scored on an infield single that Moran legged out. Then Gauna delivered an RBI double the next inning to the right center field gap, plating Lobliner. 

Even before San Diego's offense stepped up to the plate, it was its defense that set the stage. 

Jayden Lobliner, who was last year's WCC Defensive Player of the Year, cut down a runner at second base to provide some momentum for the Torero bats. 

"It sends a message on the running game and why we have the best catcher," Ungricht said of Lobliner. "I'll take him over anybody out there, and he wears his heart on the sleeve, and he cares about this team. That was an awesome play in the first inning." 

On the opposite side of the battery, Diego Gutierrez pitched with a lead all night as he battled through five shutout innings and struck out six while scattering three walks. 

A 10-pitch fourth allowed him to stretch out his start to five innings and earn the victory.

"I think I got better as the game went on," said Gutierrez, who moved to 2-2 in 2026 after Friday night's win. "The walks aren't pretty, but leaving guys, on that's always good, and then just giving the offense a chance to breathe a little bit. It's my job when we have the lead to collect outs and get our offense back in the dugout." 

After Gutierrez, Porter Rovin and Nate DeSchryver came in for the sixth and seventh innings before Drake Frize recorded the final six outs.

NOTABLE 
  • San Diego opened its conference slate with a crowd of 1,018 people making their way to Fowler Park. It marked the third consecutive game at Fowler Park with an attendance of 1,000 or more.
  • USD has now won 20 of its last 25 regular season conference games, dating back to the beginning of last season when the Toreros went 19-5 to win its second straight regular season title and third in the last four years. 
  • The Toreros recorded six stolen bases on Friday, which is their second-most swipes in a single game so far this season.
  • Andrew Gauna went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI with a walk as the cleanup hitter in the lineup. Gauna has at least one hit in seven of the last eight games, while hitting .523 (11-for-23) during a six-game hitting streak. 
  • Lobliner, who is the the reigning WCC Defensive Player of the Year, notched his seventh running caught stealing of 2026 the first inning, which is the third-best mark in the conference.
  • Offensively, Lobliner went 2-for-4 with his team-leading 21st RBI of the season, which ranks third in the WCC. 
  • After making five starts on the mound this season, Drake Frize recorded his first relief appearance of 2026 when he entered in the top of the eighth. It marked the first time he had come out of the bullpen since facing Santa Clara (May 3, 2024) when he went 1.1 innings at Fowler Park. 
  • Gutierrez recorded his first scoreless outing as a Torero as he notched his fifth straight start with six or more strikeouts. 
  • DeSchryver, who spent three seasons in a Gonzaga uniform from 2022-24 before transferring to NJIT last season and coming to USD this season, logged a scoreless outing with 1.1 innings pitched and a strikeout to end the sixth. 
  • Mestas, who spent two seasons with the Bulldogs before transferring to San Diego at the end of last season, went 1-for-4 and had a key RBI in the eighth inning.
UP NEXT 
San Diego continues its conference opening series against Gonzaga Saturday. The middle game of the weekend series between the Toreros and the Bulldogs is slated for 5 p.m. at Fowler Park. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Braden Suprenant and Mike Gosling on the call.  

After Saturday's game, those in attendance can stick around for postgame autographs from select players on Torero Deck. On Saturday, the 2026 USD senior class — which includes Springer and Lobliner — will have their pens ready after the game.
 
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