SPOKANE, Wash. – No. 14 Gonzaga's win on Thursday may have clinched a West Coast Conference title and postseason berth, but San Diego (32-12, 18-8) reminded the Bulldogs (33-16, 15-4) there's still plenty to play for in the final series of the regular season Friday night at Patterson Baseball Complex and Coach Steve Hertz Field.
 
The WCC's best hitting team by average bounced back from a shutout loss with a shutout of their own, scoring four runs on GU starter William Kempner despite not picking up a base hit until after he left the mound and squeezing the Zags' relievers for five more en route to a 9-0 win that leaves the series all tied up heading into a decisive Saturday night matchup.
 
Kempner struck out four in those four frames before relievers Michael Spellacy and Daniel Naughton closed out the rest of the game, but keeping up with USD starter Carter Rustad was a tall order for even the most experienced arms.
 
Rustad was dominant for a full nine innings to earn the win, striking out five and walking one while only giving up one hit to hand the Bulldogs their first shutout in over two months. He got plenty of run support regardless, as the Toreros picked up seven hits in a four-inning span to bring in five runs that put the game out of reach, led by Jack Costello (one run, two hits, three RBIs).
 
Ryan Sullivan picked up GU's lone hit — a single to left field that pushed Jack Machtolf to scoring position with one out on the board — but the advance was stifled by two consecutive outs with balls in play.
 
"Just not a very competitive effort tonight, didn't do enough on the mound or at the plate," said Head Coach Mark Machtolf. "The nice thing is, we have a chance to come out and win a very important series tomorrow."
 
Inside the Series
 
Since the 2000 season, San Diego still leads the series 38-33, but Gonzaga has won each of the last five series and 11 of the last 16 meetings dating back to the 2015 season. In the last series between the two programs back in 2019, the Toreros took the first game 4-2 in 13 innings, but Gonzaga evened the series with a dominant 15-3 win in game two and clinched with an 11-9 win the finale. 
 
Next Up
 
The Zags have a chance to claim a series win on senior day on Saturday and add one more big win to their bid to host an NCAA Regional in a week. RHP Alec Gomez (3-1, 44.0 IP, 28 K's, 5.11 ERA) is slated to make the start on the mound against a to-be-announced thrower for the Toreros.
 
Follow the Game
 
Saturday's regular-season finale is set for a noon first pitch. Live streaming will be available via the WCC Network. Check GoZags.com for up-to-date game day information, live stats and more.