SPOKANE, Wash. – Gonzaga fell to visiting Saint Mary's 10-6 Friday evening at the Patterson Baseball Complex and Coach Steve Hertz Field. The Gaels exploded for a seven-run ninth inning to derail the Zags' advantage and steal the first game of the West Coast Conference series.
 
Gonzaga (17-12, 7-3) got its first run of the game in the first inning following two quick outs from Ernie Yake and Guthrie Morrison in the first two at-bats. Brett Harris advanced to second on a wild pitch after being hit by a pitch, and Tyler Rando sent him home with an RBI single.
 
The Bulldogs continued to control the game, adding four runs to their lead in the third frame with two big plays—Andrew Orzel doubled down the left field line to score Morrison and Harris, and Stephen Lund followed with a deep center-field single that earned two more runs from Orzel and Rando.
 
Saint Mary's (14-13, 4-6 WCC) responded in the top of the fourth. The Gaels loaded the bases and capitalized for a two-run frame, with Eric Smelko getting home on a double play grounndout and Christopher Campos driving in Jacob Talamante with a single before Chris Santiago flied out to right field for the final out.
 
Both the Zags and the Gaels would each score another run before the ninth, with Gonzaga scoring of a sacrifice fly from Grayson Sterling to send Orzel home while Talamante doubled to send Smelko home. Scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth gave GU the 6-3 lead heading to the final frame.
 
With two runners on bases for SMC following a walk and a throwing error, SMC's Nathan Chong sent in the first run of the inning with an RBI single. The Gaels went on to score four more runs in the inning before Trystan Vrieling struck out Smelko, and two more before the Zags' secured the final out, again with a strikeout from Vrieling.
 
In the bottom of the ninth, Yake reached on a single to left field but was out at second on the ensuing play after Morrison reached on a fielder's choice. With one out, Harris grounded into a double play to end the inning and give Saint Mary's the 10-6 come-from-behind win.
 
"Really tough loss tonight," Head Coach Mark Machtolf said. "Only option now is to bounce back and have a quick memory."
 
Gonzaga returns to play for the second game of the conference series against Saint Mary's Saturday, April 10 at 6 p.m. at the Patterson Baseball Complex and Coach Steve Hertz Field. Visit GoZags.com for up-to-date game time information.