SPOKANE, Wash. - No. 17 Gonzaga baseball put up four runs in the first and didn't look back in the second game of its West Coast Conference series with Pepperdine at Patterson Baseball Complex, bouncing back from a loss in the opener with a 7-2 win.
The victory lifts the Bulldogs to 17-7 and 6-2 in conference, tying up the weekend series at a game apiece heading into Sunday's rubber match.
RHP
Trystan Vrieling held the Waves (15-10, 5-3 WCC) to just two runs on four hits in a six-frame start, striking out eight in the process to earn his fourth win of the season. RHP
Alec Gomez threw the rest of the game, earning his first save while keeping Pepperdine off the board through nine.
Enzo Apodaca (three runs, one RBI) finished one triple shy of the cycle with a career-high four hits in five at-bats to lead an 11-hit night for the Bulldogs, with
Grayson Sterling connecting on two more knocks and five Bulldogs getting at least one base knock. Six Zags batters drove in a run apiece, with
Connor Coballes (one run) picking up a team-high three walks.
"Impressive response tonight after a tough Friday night loss," said GU Head Coach Mark MAchtolf. "The offense set the tone with a big four-run first inning, and Trystan battled tough for six. Proud of Gomez to come in and give us three big innings."
The Action
GU put up four quick runs in the first, getting three consecutive RBIs from Sterling, Kramer and Machtolf after Apodaca began the frame with his first homer of the season and
Tyler Rando (1 run, 1 RBI) and Coballes were walked in succession.
Meanwhile, Vrieling held the Waves hitless through the first two frames, getting his third strikeout of the day on Nolan Lingley to end the second. The Waves got two back in the third and fourth on an RBI double from Mike Malinchak and a sac groundout from Lingley, but didn't plate another run through the rest of the game.
The Zags got runners in scoring position in each of the next two frames but didn't get back on the board until a two-run fourth. After a single from Apodaca and another walk from Coballes loaded the bases, Rando delivered a sac fly to get
Logan Johnstone (1 hit, 1 run) across and
Cade McGee (1 hit, 1 RBI) singled to bring another run and make it a 6-2 ballgame.
Vrieling didn't give up another run through the rest of his time on the mound, striking out his eighth batter of the night to end the sixth. Meanwhile, the Zags got another across in the bottom of the frame when Apodaca scored on a wild pitch before Sterling lined out to strand McGee on base.Gomez took over in the top of the seventh, throwing three straight scoreless innings to slam the door on a rally and cue a decisive game three for Sunday.
Series at a Glance
Since 2000, Gonzaga leads the all-time series with Pepperdine 40-36 and has won three of the last five meetings. The last time these two programs met was in 2021 in Malibu. In the series opener, Gonzaga starterÂ
Alek Jacob threw 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.
Play of the Game
Up Next/Follow the Game
The Zags can take their third-straight WCC series with a win in game three on Sunday, with first pitch set for noon. RHP
Owen Wild (2-1, 23.2 IP, 25 K, 2.28 ERA) is GU's probable starter on the mound, set to square off with a to-be-determined Pepperdine starter. Live stats and streaming options are available on GoZags.com — follow @zagbaseball on Instagram and Twitter for live updates, highlights and more.
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