STILLWATER, Okla. — Gonzaga baseball clinched a series upset of No. 4 Oklahoma State on the road in dramatic fashion Saturday afternoon at O'Brate Stadium, leaning on a pair of momentum-swinging solo homers from Stephen Lund and Cade McGee and a dominant defensive showing for a 2-1 win that knocked off the Cowboys for the second straight game.
The Bulldogs (9-2) are now winners of six straight, with a chance to secure their first-ever series sweep against a Top-Five team on Sunday.
"Big win today. So proud of our group — wasn't pretty the whole time but kept battling," said GU Head Coach Mark Machtolf. "Their starter was outstanding, but our staff was able to match him!"
Lund blasted a solo homer in the first to take the first lead of the game, and McGee added another in the tenth to retake it after OSU tied it up in the seventh — reliever Brody Jessee took care of the rest, keeping OSU off the board for 3.2 frames while striking out seven to earn the win.
The Zags also got a strong start from RHP William Kempner (0-1, 1.69 ERA), who held the Cowboys to four hits without an earned run in 6.1 innings on the mound, striking out five and walking three.
GU had to withstand multiple late pushes from the Cowboys to even get into extra innings, stranding 13 OSU runners on base and ending three innings with a runner on third. Connor Coballes was the Zags' catalyst on defense at shortstop, stitching four assists along with a pair of inning-ending diving grabs in the third and fourth with the bases loaded.
"Proud of our group," Machtolf said. "But once again we need to have a short memory. Huge opportunity in front of us tomorrow. "
The Action
Lund got the Zags on the board in the first for the second consecutive game, this time with his first homer of the year. But after Lund's blast, Cowboys RHP Justin Campbell was shutdown on the mound, holding the Zags without a hit through the rest of his time on the mound while GU had to hold off multiple pushes from OSU's offense.
The Cowboys loaded the bases in the bottom of the third after Zach Ehrhard and Jake Thompson both hit singles and Nolan McLean was hit by a pitch, but Coballes made a diving grab off a drive by Caeden Trinkle that ended the frame with three runners stranded and the Zags still in control. The junior shortstop replicated the feat in the same scenario in the next frame after the bases were loaded by two walks and a HBP, snagging a drive from Roc Riggio in the same location to unceremoniously end another offensive opportunity for OSU.
Kempner held firm while keeping the Cowboys without a hit over the next two frames, striking out three in the process. OSU's Ehrhard brought in the equalizing run in the seventh on an RBI single from Thompson after stealing third, bringing up another opportunity for the Cowboys to take the lead with Riggio in scoring position. At that point, Jessee entered the game and struck out two straight — but he didn't stop there.
Weathering three hits from OSU's lineup, Jessee struck out two more in the eighth and another in the ninth while keeping the Cowboys off the board to force extra innings. And just like the Zags' series finale win on Feb. 27, it only took one frame to retake the lead.
With two outs on the board, McGee delivered the Zags' second solo homer of the day in the top of the tenth, launching deep over the left field wall to retake the lead, this time for good. Jessee continued hunting for strikeouts in the tenth, keeping OSU from picking up a hit while inducing a flyout and striking out two more swinging to clinch one of the biggest series wins in program history.
Play of the Game
Next Up
The Bulldogs have a chance for their first-ever series sweep against a Top-Five opponent on Sunday, with RHP Trystan Vrieling (0-1, 6.75 ERA, 12 IP, 16 K) set to get the start on the mound against a to-be-announced starter for the Cowboys.
Follow the Game
Sunday's series finale is set for an 11 a.m. PST start time. Live stats and streaming options are available on GoZags.com — follow @zagbaseball on Instagram and Twitter for live updates, highlights and more.
