SPOKANE, Wash. — Opening its first conference series at Patterson Baseball Complex and Coach Steve Hertz Field Thursday evening in the first of three games with Pacific, Gonzaga baseball built on a shutdown eight-inning effort from starter Alek Jacob, picking up runs in five of the game's last seven frames en route to a 9-0 win.
 
After spending the Bulldogs' first two WCC series as a reliever, Jacob nearly went the distance in his return to the starter role, posting a season-high tying 11 strikeouts  — five of them looking — to cement GU's third shutout of the season. The sidearming righty faced an average of only 3.38 batters per inning, holding the Tigers (7-15, 0-7 WCC) to three total hits.
 
Leadoff hitter Ernie Yake picked up a base hit in his first at-bat and went on to produce two more along with a run, while five other hitters picked up at least a pair of base hits to pace GU's 15-hit effort. Zag hitters only struck out three times in four go-arounds, picking up three runs in the fifth and seventh to put the game increasingly out of reach with Jacob still retiring batters in record time on the other end.
 
Mason Marenco finished with a team-high three RBI and eight different Bulldogs scored GU's nine runs.
 
"That was a good complete team effort," said Head Coach Mark Machtolf. "Lots of contributions up and down our lineup. AJ gave us a great start and gives us a fresh bullpen heading into tomorrow."
 
Pacific stunted GU's offensive progress with double plays in the first and second frames, but the Bulldogs (14-10, 5-2 WCC) capitalized with runners in scoring position in five of the next six innings to build a lead they'd go on to hold throughout the ballgame.
 
Jack Machtolf doubled and subsequently stole third base in the top of the third before Andrew Orzel drove to center field to send him home for the game's first run. Machtolf returned the favor in the next frame, flying out with Stephen Lund on second and Orzel on third to double the deficit.
 
A 2-0 game became a 5-0 game with second and third occupied once again in the fifth — Guthrie Morrison singled to right field to score Grayson Sterling and Brett Harris flew out for a run from Yake in consecutive at-bats, and another single from Orzel scored Morrison before the Tigers brought in reliever Joe Solomon with two outs in the frame. 
 
Solomon closed the inning without any further damage but only faced two batters before Pacific pivoted to relievers Zach Patterson (one K) and Hunter Hayes (two K's) to finish the game. Patterson kept the Bulldogs off the board in the sixth despite a careening double from Yake, but GU kept making noise in the next two frames to push the lead further.
 
Lund clubbed a deep drive to the left corner that scored run No. 6 and moved runners to second and third for the fourth time, and Marenco got them both home with an RBI single for an eight-run lead.
Morrison scored his second run on a double to right center from Tyler Rando in the eighth for run No. 9. Pitching in relief in the top of the ninth, RHP Daniel Naughton retired three consecutive batters to seal the win.
 
Inside the Series
With the win, GU is 13-3 against Pacific since it joined the WCC in 2013, sitting at 17-6 against the Tigers all-time and 8-2 in matchups at home. Prior to this series, both teams last met in 2019, a 3-0 home victory for GU that capped a 2-1 series win. The Bulldogs have never lost more than one game to the Tigers in a conference series. 
 
With a 5-2 record in conference play, Zags are tied for second in the WCC standings with Portland behind San Diego (18-4, 5-1).
 
Next Up
The Bulldogs can clinch a series victory in game two with the Tigers, with Friday's matchup set for a 6 p.m. start and Saturday's at 1 p.m. GU RHP Gabriel Hughes (1-3, 37 strikeouts, 5.08 ERA) will make his fifth start of the season on Friday, with RHP William Kempner (1-1, 23 strikeouts, 2.33 ERA) set for the Saturday start against Pacific RHP Henrik Reinertsen (1-3, 19 strikeouts, 6.43 ERA).
 
Follow the Game
Live streaming for the Zags' next two games will be available via the WCC Network. Check GoZags.com for up-to-date game information and live stats.