SPOKANE, Wash. – In an non-conference mid-week matchup with Washington Tuesday afternoon at Patterson Baseball Complex and Coach Steve Hertz Field, Gonzaga pulled ahead in the third frame and broke the game open with a five-run sixth — buoyed by a stellar performance on the mound from starter Nico Zeglin that neutralized the Huskies' bats for the front half of the game. 
 
The Bulldogs (12-8) are now winners of five straight, the longest streak of the season so far.
 
"Really happy with our effort tonight," said Head Coach Mark Machtolf, calling the win "one of our most complete games in all three facets."
 
"Zeglin gave us an outstanding start, and we did a nice job of breaking the game open in the 6th," he added.
 
Zeglin made the most out of his first start in a GU uniform — the 6-foot-3 righty struck out three for a quick first frame and proceeded to retire five more off strikes over the next four frames, keeping UW without a hit until the fourth.
 
Ernie Yake (two doubles, two RBI, one run) and Tyler Rando (one run) both went 3-for-4 to pace the Zags' hitters, which produced 10 hits and struck out only six times to the Huskies' 15. Guthrie Morrison contributed two hits, two RBI and a run for GU, while UW picked up four hits in total, with eight runners stranded on base.
 
GU got on the board in the third when Guthrie Morrison doubled down the left field line to send Ernie Yake home; Brett Harris smacked a wall-grazing double of his own in the next at-bat to get Morrison around the bases for a 2-0 lead.
 
RHP Michael Spellacy took over in the bottom of the sixth, striking out four more while holding UW to just one earned run over the next three frames — an RBI drive to left field that got Noah Hsue home for the Huskies' first run.
 
But the Zags got their response in the bottom of the sixth in the form of a solo slam from Andrew Orzel that brought the lead back to two runs, and Jack Machtolf and Ryan Sullivan were both hit by pitches to juice the bases. As it turned out, that was only the beginning of an inning that would put the game firmly out of reach for UW.
 
With two outs, the Zags' bats exploded for five runs in the next three at-bats to completely alter the complexion of the game. Tyler Stone was walked to yield run No. 4 from Tyler Rando, Yake followed up with an RBI single that sent Machtolf and Sullivan home, and Morrison drove in another run from Stone to make it a 7-1 Zags lead going into the seventh. 
 
Michael Petrie put up another run in the top of the seventh on a groundout from Braiden Ward after reaching third due to a thrower's error, but the Huskies couldn't muster another challenge in the final two frames off Spellacy and RHP Brody Jessee, who threw three strikeouts without a hit to end the game half an inning early.
 
Inside the Series
 
Despite the win, Gonzaga still trails the all-time series with Washington 27-21. The two squads have played each other at least once every season since 2012, save for the pandemic-shortened spring of 2020. The Zags and Huskies are scheduled to meet again April 20 at Husky Ballpark in Seattle to conclude the two-game season series, with a chance for GU to clinch its first season sweep of UW since 2012.
 
Next Up
 
The Zags hit the road to resume the West Coast Conference pennant chase with three games against Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles, starting Friday at 6 p.m. The Lions (7-11) sit at the bottom of the WCC standings after being swept by BYU in their first weekend of conference action, but boast wins over Pac-12 opponents California-Berkeley, Utah and USC.
 
Follow the Game
 
The Zags' first game with LMU is set to start at 6 p.m. on Friday, with Saturday's start set for 6 p.m.  and Sunday at 1 p.m. Live streaming will be available via the WCC Network. Check GoZags.com for up-to-date game information and live stats.