SPOKANE, Wash. — No. 17 Gonzaga went into extra innings in its West Coast Conference series opener with Pepperdine at Patterson Baseball Complex Friday evening, but ultimately fell after a two-run homer in the 11th gave the Waves (15-9, 5-2 WCC) the lead for good.
The Bulldogs (16-7, 5-2) got a seven-inning start from RHP Gabriel Hughes, who held the Waves' lineup to eight hits in that span while striking out nine and walking three. RHP Brody Jessee pitched the rest of the game, striking out 10 through four more frames while being tagged for two earned runs on four hits.
Grayson Sterling (1 run, 1 RBI) and Connor Coballes (3 RBI) led a nine-hit night for GU with a pair of knocks apiece, with Enzo Apodaca picking up a team-high two runs.
"Tough loss tonight," said GU Head Coach Mark Machtolf. "I thought we did some good things in different parts of the game but couldn't string all three facets of the game together consistently. Give credit to Pepperdine — they had some big performances tonight."
The Action
The Waves got two across in the first off a two-RBI single from Quintt Landis, but Hughes settled in soon after, throwing a pair of 1-2-3 innings in the second and third before a solo homer from Connor Bradshaw extended the lead to 3-0 in the fourth.
The Zags finally gained some momentum on offense with a three-run fifth. The Zags juiced the bases after Sterling reached on an error, Pinales singled, and Apodaca was walked, with a single from Coballes yielding two runs. A double from Rando in the next at-bat brought in the tying run from Apodaca, but Pinales was put out at home to end the inning.
Both teams traded blows in the sixth and seventh. Pepperdine retook the lead on an RBI single after Connor Bradshaw advanced to third on a wild pitch, but an RBI double from Sterling brought Cade McGee — who doubled to begin the frame — home to tie it up again. Likewise in the seventh, when Pepperdine's Charles Masino scored on a wild pitch to get the Waves ahead by one again before Coballes picked up his third RBI of the night with a single that brought Apodaca home.
Jessee took over in the eighth, holding the Waves scoreless for three frames before John Peck's two-run blast while cracking double-digit K's in the process Jack Machtolf singled to begin the bottom of the inning, but RHP Jack Baird generated three consecutive outs in the next three at-bats before the Bulldogs could find a response.
Series at a Glance
Since 2000, Gonzaga leads the all-time series with Pepperdine 39-36 and has won four of the last seven meetings. The last time these two programs met was in 2021 in Malibu. In the series opener, Gonzaga starter Alek Jacobthrew a no-hitter — the first for a Bulldog pitcher since 1990 and fifth all-time — in a 10-0 win before the Zags fell in game two and clinched the series in game three with an 11-6 win.
Up Next / Follow the Game
The Zags can tie up the series with a win in game two, with RHP Trystan Vrieling (3-1, 38 IP, 54 K, 2.61 ERA) set to take the mound against Waves RHP Trevor Hinkel (2-2, 34.1 IP, 26 K, 2.88 ERA). First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
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