SPOKANE, Wash. — Just as it did Friday, Gonzaga piled on the offense early and often Saturday evening at Patterson Baseball Complex and Coach Steve Hertz Field. But this time, the Bulldogs didn't let off the gas pedal on either side of the ball, thrashing Saint Mary's 21-3 with a 21-hit effort that included four homers and nine extra base hits.
Less than 24 hours after a ninth-inning collapse gave the Gaels a series lead, GU's batters put up 20 runs before Saint Mary's could find a response — a four-run second was followed by four more in the third and a combined 12 runs in the fifth and sixth to snap a four-game losing streak to SMC that dated back to 2019.
Making his first Saturday start of the season after swapping his usual Friday duties with RHP
Alek Jacob, Zags RHP
Gabriel Hughes found little difficulty imposing his will on the opposing lineup. The 6'4 righty allowed two hits in the first inning but only gave up one more through the rest of his time on the mound, striking out 10 and quashing any attempts by the Gaels to regain traction.
Grayson Sterling finished 4-for-4 at the plate, driving in six runs and scoring three more himself to lead a comprehensive effort on offense.
Ernie Yake added three hits — all of them doubles — and three RBI, and
Stephen Lund matched that, adding a home run and a hit by pitch.
With runners on first and third and no outs in the second frame, Lund belted a fastball on a 2-0 count to score
Tyler Rando and give the Zags a 1-0 lead.
Jack Machtolf followed with a well-placed sacrifice bunt that moved Lund and
Andrew Orzel to second and third, respectively.
Orzel was put out at home after a fortunate snag from SMC pitcher Sam Bower off contact from
Mason Marenco, but Sterling came through in the next at-bat, floating a massive two-out homer over the right field wall to quadruple the lead.
Harris pulled the Zags' second homer in as many innings with a solo slam that exited the park over the left wall to make it a 5-0 lead, and Lund smacked yet another — his sixth of the year — in the same location for run No. 6. Sterling and
Mason Marenco both proceeded to drive in two more before the inning could close, but that was only the start.
Sterling and Yake both doubled for the second time in the game in the fifth to score Lund and Marenco, and
Guthrie Morrison pulled a breaking ball over the fences for the Zags' fourth homer to score both himself and Yake, extending the lead to make it a 13-0 game with Hughes still rolling on the other side of the ball.
The sixth brought more of the same offensive firepower — Marenco, Sterling, Yake and Morrison drove in a combined five runs with one out, and
Riley Livingston, entering the game as a pinch hitter for Rando, made contact with a pitch that got Morrison home on a throwing error for the biggest lead GU has held in a game this spring, 20-0.
Saint Mary's got on the board in the eighth, scoring three runs without getting a hit on any. A walk, an error and a flyout made it 20-3, but Harris scored the final run of the game on an RBI flyout from Livingston.
Pitching the final frame in relief,
Jacob Rutherford struck out two swinging and Jack Murphy grounded out to end the game.
Next Up
Gonzaga can earn its third WCC series win of the season in the rubber match on Sunday. RHP
William Kempner (1-1, 2.42 ERA, 22.1 IP, 23K) will get the start for the Zags against Saint Mary's XHP LHP Ky Bush (3-2, 2.95 ERA, 36.2 IP, 48K)
Follow the Game
Sunday's game is set for a noon start. Live streaming will be available via the WCC Network, and Sunday's game will be televised on SWX. Check GoZags.com for up-to-date game information and live stats.
