LUBBOCK, Texas — Battling adversity amongst its pitching staff and a hyperactive fielding effort from No. 9 Texas Tech on Wednesday at Jones AT&T Stadium, Gonzaga took a lead in the first and tied the game at 3-all in the sixth but gave up a two-run double in the eighth and couldn't muster a tying run down 4-5 in the final frame for the second game in a row.
 
Entering the ninth down 3-5, Grayson Sterling's deep drive bounced over the fence for a double and Gabe Hughes singled to push him home, but Brett Harris' fly to second was caught to end the game before the Bulldogs (6-7) could solidify their push for extra innings.
 
The Red Raiders (10-3) sweep the two-game stand, despite being outhit by the Zags in both outings. GU hitters recorded eight base hits Wednesday, led by Stephen Lund (3-for-5, 2 runs, one home run), Sterling (2-for-3, one run, 2 RBI) and Jack Machtolf (1-for-2, one run, 2 walks).
 
"Another tough loss. I'm proud of the fight our guys had tonight," said Head Coach Mark Machtolf. "That's a very good Texas Tech team, and at the end of the day they just did a little more than us to win."
 
Lund got the offense going early for the Zags with his solo slam — his second of the season — in GU's second at-bat to give the Bulldogs the first lead of the game. TTU starter Chase Hampton got into a rhythm after Lund's blast, however, keeping the Zags off the board through the rest of his four innings on the mound with four hits and two walks.
 
GU starting RHP Reagan Haas got to work at the bottom of the inning, picking up a flyout before exiting the game with an injury after throwing only five pitches. Suddenly, the GU coaching staff had to turn to their bullpen earlier than expected, and RHP Michael Spellacy took Haas' place for the rest of the inning, giving back a run scored off an error but stranding two runners on base to keep the score even.
 
Four different throwers saw action for GU after Haas' abrupt departure, combining for 10 team strikeouts while walking eight. The Red Raiders finished with 12 assists to the Zags' five, leaving little room for error in tandem with a solid showing from TTU reliever Ryan Sublette (3 IP, 2 hits, 3 strikeouts) as the game neared the final frame.
 
Spellacy kept the damage minimal for two more innings, striking out a team-best four batters while giving up four total hits. But another infield error and a wild pitch allowed for runs from Cody Masters and Cal Conley that gave Texas Tech a 3-1 edge through three innings.
 
The Zags began to mount a counterattack in the fourth with Riley Livingston and Jack Machtolf reaching bases, but the Red Raiders were able to stifle the threat and close the inning with their second double play of the night. 
 
Jessee came out of the pen at the turn of the inning, holding the Red Raiders scoreless for three innings while giving up one hit and throwing two strikeouts. 
 
Trystan Vrieiling was brought in after 10 pitches from Bradley Mullan to navigate a perilous eighth with runners on base. Vrieiling threw four more K's, but the sole hit he gave up — a double to left center from Jace Jung — drove in Tech's fourth and fifth runs of the game from Parker Kelly and Max Marusak.
 
Inside the Series
With the win, Gonzaga trails the all-time series with the Red Raiders 1-4 after entering the week 1-2 against them previously. This two-game stand was the first time in more than a decade that the two teams have met on the diamond, with the first three games all dating back to 2009 and 2010.
 
Series Notes
-These were the third and fourth games Gonzaga has played against Big 12 foes, with three more coming this weekend against TCU. GU has not played multiple Big 12 opponents in the same season since 2014, when they fell 2-0 to Oklahoma and defeated Oklahoma State 5-4 in Surprise, Arizona.
-Jack Machtolf led GU in OBP in the two-game series at .750, going 2-for-3 Tuesday and 1-for-2 Wednesday while scoring two total runs 
-Texas Tech extended their win streak to ten games by beating the Bulldogs — they haven't lost since dropping three-straight to top-ten teams to start the season.
-GU and TTU both stole two bases apiece Wednesday after combining for three Tuesday.
-Brett Harris leads the Zags in batting average (.367), OPS (1.074), hits (18) and runs (14) through 13 games.
-GU dropped both games of the series with Texas Tech by the same final score, ending the game half an inning early on a flyout in both.
 
Next Up
After a day off, Gonzaga heads to Fort Worth Friday for three games with No. 11 Texas Christian. The Horned Frogs (9-4) are 0-2 on the week after an 11-1 mercy-rule loss to Texas State on Tuesday and a 6-3 win over UTSA on Wednesday.
 
RHP Gabriel Hughes (1-2, 4.82 ERA, 18.2 IP, 19 K) is the Zags' probable starter against TCU on Friday. Probable starters for Saturday and Sunday are below.
 
Probable Weekend Starters (GU vs. TCU)
Saturday 
RHP William Kempner (1-0, 14.1 IP, 16 K, 1.88 ERA) vs. TBD
Sunday
RHP Alec Gomez (2-0, 11 IP, 7 K, 3.27 ERA) vs. TBD
 
Follow the Game
Just like the Zags' first two games in Texas, all three matchups with TCU will be live streamed on ESPN+ via Big 12 Now. Friday's game is set for a 4:30 p.m. start time, with Saturday set for noon and Sunday at 11 a.m. (all times PST).