STOCKTON, Calif. – No. 20 Gonzaga baseball put up all nine runs in the first three frames of its Saturday matchup with Pacific at Klein Family Field, weathering a late push from the Tigers (7-11) to win 9-7 and clinch its fifth-straight series victory in a West Coast Conference opener.
The win lifts the Bulldogs to 13-4 and 2-0 in conference play, in a tie for first place in the WCC Standings with LMU.
RHP Owen Wild held Pacific to one unearned run on three hits over a career-high five frames in his second start, but the Tigers got back into the game with a five-run sixth before RHP Brody Jessee (2.1 IP, 1 R, 5 K) and RHP Michael Spellacy  (1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K) combined to throw the final three frames and hold off a rally. Spellacy earned his third save of the season, with Wild earning his second win.
Cade McGee (2 RBI) and Grayson Sterling (1 RBI) led a nine-hit night for the Bulldogs, with Stephen Lund driving in a team-high three runs and scoring two more on one hit. 
"Happy to come away with a win, not a very clean game but our guys did enough to clinch a series," said GU Head Coach Mark Machtolf. "Looking forward to a big effort tomorrow and a chance to get a big sweep on the road in conference play."

The Action
GU wasted no time in building a lead, with a single up the middle from Kramer yielding two RBI after Rando and Lund both got on base to start the frame. Kramer promptly stole second and advanced to third on a throw, and Sterling followed with another single up the middle that got him home for a 3-0 lead.
The Zags kept rolling in the second, putting up four more runs on a pair of two-RBI blasts from McGee and Lund before the Tigers could strand them both on base to end the frame. A triple from Savier Pinales that brought Jack Machtolf home and yet another RBI single from Lund that scored Apodaca extended the lead to 9-1 in the next frame.
After three scoreless innings from the Bulldogs despite two hits and four left on base in that span, Pacific began to mount a comeback with a five-run sixth, Jarryd Wood, Jarron Silva and Colby Canales all connecting on multi-RBI knocks in succession to get the Tigers back in the game.
GU got a runner in scoring position in the sixth, seventh and eight frames, but relievers Caden Duke and Jackson Vaughan kept the Zags from putting another run on the board while the Tigers' infield stitched a pair of double plays. Pacific got one more back in the eighth when Silva stole third and reached home plate on a throwing error, but Spellacy took over after Silva's run, holding the Tigers hitless through the rest of the game with two strikeouts en route to his third save.

Series at a Glance
With the win, the Bulldogs are 21-6 against the Tigers all-time and 17-3 against them in conference matchups, having won six straight in a streak that dates back to 2019. GU swept the series in Spokane in 2021, recording two shutouts in the process with 9-0 and 6-0 wins in the first two games before a 2-1 win on Sunday. 

Up Next / Follow the Game
The Zags can go for their third series sweep of the season with a win on Sunday, with reigning WCC Pitcher of the Week Trystan Vrieling (1-1, 25 IP, 38 K, 3.24 ERA) set to get the start on the mound vs. RHP Zach Patterson (1-1, 12.2 IP, 9 K, 4.97 ERA). Sunday's game is set for a 12 p.m. start. Live stats and streaming options are available on GoZags.com — follow @zagbaseball on Instagram and Twitter for live updates, highlights and more.