STILLWATER, Okla. — Gonzaga Baseball got a dominant start from Gabriel Hughes while the Bulldogs (7-2) built a lead early and held on late to snag a 4-3 upset win in their series opener with No. 4 Oklahoma State at O'Brate Stadium.
GU's win extends its current win streak to five games, snapping the Cowboys' (6-3) four-game streak of their own. The win is the Bulldogs' first over a ranked opponent this season, and first over a top-five team since 2019.
Hughes (2-0) finished with a season-high 11 K's in seven innings on the mound, walking one while being tagged for three hits that yielded three earned runs. The sophomore righty held the Cowboys hitless for five consecutive frames after OSU tied the game at 1-1 in the second to earn his second win before RHP Michael Spellacy closed out the final two frames without giving up a potential game-tying run to earn his second save, striking out two more in the process.
Stephen Lund's 3-for-4 outing at the DH spot led the Zags' lineup on offense, with Enzo Apodaca (one run) and Tyler Rando (one RBI) adding two knocks apiece to round out the Zags' sixth game with double-digit hits so far this season.
"Big win on the road tonight," said GU Head Coach Mark Machtolf. "Hughes was outstanding, and can't say enough about Michael Spellacy to finish that game out in a hostile environment. Some big contributions in the lineup, especially good to see Lund have a good night.
"We need to have a short memory and be ready to go against a very good Oklahoma State team tomorrow."
The Action
GU struck quickly on offense to jump out to a 1-0 lead after Lund singled through the left side to score Apodaca, who singled and moved to scoring position on a wild pitch in the at-bat prior. The Zags got three consecutive outs in the bottom of the frame, with a pair of flyouts and Hughes' first strikeout of the day keeping a clean sheet going into the second.
But just as quickly, OSU's Nolan McLean slammed a solo homer in the bottom of the second to knot the game at 1-all.
McLean's equalizing shot was the only hit Hughes gave up until the seventh. The 6'4 righty struck out nine more OSU batters in that span, keeping the Cowboys from getting on base for five consecutive frames.
GU retook the lead in the fourth after consecutive singles from Lund and Ezra Samperi (one run, one hit) put the Zags in a position to capitalize without any outs on the board. Freshman Cade McGee delivered, connecting on a blooper to right field that scored runs from both Samperi and Lund after a bunt from Jack Machtolf pushed them to second and third.
Lund began the sixth with a double after a fifth frame without a runner on base, but Cowboys RHP Mitchell Stone struck out Samperi and Machtolf in succession and RHP Kale Davis came in to strike out Marenco to keep the Zags from adding to the lead.
After McGee was walked to open the seventh and Apodaca singled, Rando barreled an RBI single to grow the lead to 4-1 and give the Zags an extra run that would become crucial down the stretch. Kramer followed up with another single to load the bases with one out, but a groundout into a double play ended the inning with the remaining runners stranded.
The Cowboys got two back in the seventh after an RBI double from David Mendham brought in runs from Caeden Trenkle and Roc Riggio, but a groundout to first preserved the Zags' lead going into the eighth.
Spellacy took the mound in the eighth after three consecutive groundouts kept GU off the board in the top of the frame, striking out Lyle Miller-Green looking before inducing a double play to end the frame and get out of the jam with the lead still intact. RHP Trevor Martin took the mound for OSU and struck out McGee, Coballes and Apodaca in succession to keep the Zags from adding insurance runs going into a decisive final frame.
After a groundout from OSU's Jake Thompson to start the bottom of the ninth, McLean singled through the left side to get a tying run on base. But before the Cowboys could complete the rally, the Zags got their second out on a fly ball and Spellacy struck out Marcus Brown looking to end the game and seal the huge upset win.
Next Up
The Zags' three game series with the Cowboys continues Saturday morning, with RHP William Kempner (0-1, 2.79 ERA) as the Zags' probable starter on the mound against OSU RHP Justin Campbell (1-1, 4.50).
Follow the Game
Saturday's start is scheduled for an 11 a.m. start, as is Sunday's series finale (both times PST). Live stats and streaming options are available on GoZags.com — follow @zagbaseball on Instagram and Twitter for live updates, highlights and more.
