STOCKTON, Calif. — On its second day of action in the West Coast Conference Tournament, No. 10 Gonzaga was sent to the elimination bracket by a 5-3 loss to San Diego in its first game of the day, but the Bulldogs set themselves up for their fifth game of the season against the Toreros for the on Saturday with a 7-0 win over Portland in Friday's nightcap.

If the Zags win the first game on Saturday, they'll have to face the Toreros (35-18, 17-10) a second time to decide the tournament champion. A loss in either game means elimination.

RHP Will Kempner was shutdown in 5 ⅔ innings on the mound in his fourth start since returning from injury, striking out a career-high 14 while only allowing three hits in the process. Kempner's 14 punchouts are the most in a single game by a GU pitcher so far this year.

RHP Jacob Rutherford (0.1 IP) and RHP Michael Spellacy (3 IP, 3 K) took care of the rest, preserving the Zags' fourth shutout of the season through nine with Spellacy getting his 12th save of the season to move into a tie for second-most in a single season and fourth-most in a career (15).

Grayson Sterling led the way for GU on offense, slamming his first homer of the season and doubling to generate a team-high 3 RBI and two runs. Tyler Rando (2 hits, 1 run), Dylan Johnson (1 hit) both picked up an RBI apiece to lead five other Zags who got at least a base knock.

The Action in Game Two

Kempner got to work quickly against the Pilots, striking out the side in the first frame and retiring six of the next seven batters he faced. Meanwhile, the Zags started to put together the offense they needed over the third and fourth.

After Pinales was walked to open the third, an RBI double from Rando brought him home to open the Zags' scoring for the third straight game. In the fourth, Sterling followed with his first home run of the year to double the lead, and after another double from Kramer and a passed ball that moved him to third, a sac fly RBI from Johnson got him across to tack on a third run.

The Pilots got their first runner in scoring position in the bottom of the fifth with back-to-back singles from Sam Brown and Jake Tsukada, but Kempner responded with three consecutive strikeouts to stall their momentum. After notching his 13th strikeout of the game midway through the sixth, Rutherford took the mound in Kempner's stead, generating a lineout to end the frame.

A single and a pair of walks loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh and threatened to break up the shutout, but Spellacy induced the grounder he needed to end the frame with the Pilots still scoreless. He stranded two more in the eighth with a popup.

After two innings with runners in scoring position that came up empty, GU loaded the bases twice and capitalized, plating four runs to put the game out of reach. Apodaca drew a walk to lead off the frame before back-to-back base knocks from Pinales and Rando juiced the bases, and a double up the middle from Sterling and a fielding error on contact from Kramer got all three across to double the lead. A walk from Johnson loaded the bases for a second time with one out still on the board, with Brock Gillis entering the game for UP. Coballes drew the second walk in a row to churn out the seventh run of the game before the Pilots could get the third out. Spellacy picked up two of his strikeouts in the final frame, including his third to end the night and complete the shutout.

The Action in Game One

Just as he did in Wednesday's opener, Savier Pinales got the Zags going in the first frame, connecting on a scorcher to center field that got him to second with one out on the board. Up next, Tyler Rando battled through a 14-pitch at-bat to deliver a fielder's choice knock that gave Pinales enough time to reach third, and Shea Kramer followed up with an RBI double that plated him for GU's first run of the game.

Despite a double from Cody Jefferis in the first at-bat of the bottom of the frame, RHP Gabriel Hughes responded with a strikeout and a pair of grounders that got him out of the inning unscathed. 

Toreros RHP Brycen Mautz settled in with a 1-2-3 frame in the second, and Hughes tossed a hitless inning of his own in response to give the Zags some momentum heading into the next frame. A day after hitting a season-high five homers against LMU, the Zags went yard twice in the third, with Pinales and McGee both slamming solo shots to extend the lead to 3-0. Hughes tossed another hitless frame in the ensuing frame, ending with his fourth K of the day.

But the Toreros got to Hughes in the fourth and fifth, plating four runs on a three-run blast from Caleb Ricketts and a sac fly to retake the lead and leave the Bulldogs with work to do over the final four.

Sterling opened the sixth with a single, cueing Mautz' departure after throwing 105 pitches. Ryan Robinson took the mound in his stead, and Brody Jessee entered the game in the seventh, striking out two and generating a fly ball to center for the Zags' third hitless frame of the game. But Ricketts slammed his second homer of the game — this time a solo shot to center — bumped the lead to two, and the Zags didn't get back on the board in time to equalize.
 

Up Next / Follow the Game

Tomorrow's rematch with the Toreros is set for a 3 p.m. start, with starting pitchers to be announced. Should the Zags win, game two will begin within an hour of game one's completion. Live stats and streaming options are available on GoZags.com — follow @zagbaseball on Instagram and Twitter for live updates, highlights and more.