SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — All it took was one frame for No. 15/17 Gonzaga baseball to turn a tight contest with San Francisco in its series opener into a rout Friday afternoon at Benedetti Diamond, with a six-run ninth — punctuated by a three-run homer from Ezra Samperi — breaking the game open to lift the Bulldogs (20-7, 8-2 WCC) to their fourth-straight win.
RHP Gabriel Hughes tossed a solid 6 ⅓ frames to earn his fifth win in a start, striking out nine while holding the Dons (15-16, 5-5) to three earned runs on six hits. RHP Brody Jessee (1 ⅔ IP, 1 K) and RHP Nico Zeglin (1 IP, 2 K) combined to hold USF hitless through the rest of the game after Hughes' departure.
Connor Coballes went 4-for-5 with two runs to pace a 14-hit outing for GU, with Grayson Sterling supplying a team-high four RBI to lead four Bulldogs who finished with multiple runs driven in. Tyler Rando (2 runs), Cade McGee (2 runs) and Ezra Samperi (1 run, 3 RBI) all finished with multiple knocks in the winning effort.
The Action
After Coballes singled and Rando and McGee were hit by pitches in succession, a flyout from Sterling with the bases loaded gave the Zags the first lead of the game for the fourth-straight game. GU continued to get plenty of traffic on the bases in the third and fifth frames, loading the bases in both and tacking four runs onto the lead with a pair of two-RBI singles from Shea Kramer (1 hit, 1 run, 2 RBI) and Sterling.
The Dons got three back in the bottom of the fifth when Nick Yovetich connected on an RBI triple and an RBI single from Gabe Giosso got two more across to cut the lead to two, but the Zags' explosive final frame put the game far out of reach.
With the bases loaded yet again after three consecutive singles from Coballes, Rando and McGee, Sterling was walked to churn out another run and get his fourth RBI of the day. Rando was thrown out at home when Kramer reached on a fielder's choice in the next at-bat, but Jack Machtolf (1 hit, 1 run, 2 RBI) delivered another two-run shot to center field that pushed the lead to 8-3 with just one out on the board. Kramer stole third, but Samperi made sure that wasn't necessary when he went yard for the first time this season to bring in three more runs and put the Dons away for good.
Series at a Glance
With the win, GU holds a 37-35-1 advantage in the all-time series. The Bulldogs' loss in 2021's series finale snapped a record run of five straight wins over USF — the two teams were tied up all-time prior.
USF's last win before 2021 came in 2018, a 3-0 shutout at Benedetti Diamond in San Francisco. The two teams also have a rare tie on their record — a 2-2 final that took place in the finale of a three-game road series in 2010.
Play of the Game
Up Next/Follow the Game
The Bulldogs can go for their fourth-straight WCC series win in Saturday's matchup, with RHP Trystan Vrieling (4-1, 44 IP, 62 K, 2.66 ERA) set to get the start on the mound against USF RHP Riley Ornido (0-1, 8 IP, 15 K, 5.63 ERA). Saturday's game is set for a 1 p.m. first pitch. Live stats and streaming options are available on GoZags.com — follow @zagbaseball on Instagram and Twitter for live updates, highlights and more.
