MALIBU, Calif. – Gonzaga Baseball closed out strong in its Sunday finale with Pepperdine at Eddy D. Field, clinching its second consecutive West Coast Conference series with a 10-7 win after weathering a third-inning six-spot and outscoring the Waves 4-1 over the final six frames behind multi-RBI performances from Tommy Eisenstat, Sam Stem and Grayson Sterling and a shutdown relief outing from RHP Nate Deschryver.

The Bulldogs (9-13, 5-1 WCC) are one of only three WCC teams that have won their first two series. They remain in second place in the league standings, with Portland remaining undefeated in conference play after sweeping Pacific.

Deschryver held the Waves to just one run in 6 ⅓ innings of relief, including four consecutive scoreless frames to close the game. He took over in the third after the Waves' bats abruptly chased starter LHP Matthew Mueller (2.2 IP, 3 H, 3 K, 6 ER, 6 BB) from the game with six runs on three hits, earning his second win of the season to improve to 2-2 in appearances of record.

Eisenstat drove in a career-high four runs with a team-leading three knocks, with Savier Pinales (1 R), Brian Kalmer (1 RBI, 2 R), Connor Coballes (2 R) and Stem (2 RBI, 1 R) all finishing with two hits apiece. Sterling added a single in the top of the ninth that yielded two late insurance runs to round out a 12-hit outing for the Bulldogs. GU has picked up at least 12 hits in eight of its last ten games.

"Proud of our group – that's a big response after a tough Friday night," said GU Head Coach Mark Machtolf. "Our offense did a great job of punching early for us, and Deschryver gave us an outstanding outing after the momentum was shifting Pepperdine's way."

The Zags return home next week for more WCC action, playing host to seventh-place BYU (8-14, 2-4) for a three-game series that begins March 30.

SERIES AT A GLANCE
Since 2000, Gonzaga leads the all-time series with Pepperdine 43-37 and has won five of the last seven meetings and three straight series. This is the second year in a row that the Zags have rallied to secure a series win after dropping the opener – in 2022, the Zags lost 5-7 in the series opener in Spokane before winning the next two, 7-2 and 7-4, to take the series.

THE ACTION
The top of GU's order all reached base in succession to get things going for the Zags in the first, plating three runs on four hits to set the tone early. Coballes drove a single up the middle and Apodaca drew a walk before Kalmer followed with a deep single to plate the first run of the game. Up next, Stem grounded into a double play, but gave Apodaca time to reach home and double the margin. Bozett reached second on a fly ball that led to a Waves error, and Eisenstat got him home with the Zags' third single of the frame. Pinales followed with yet another base knock to maintain the pressure, but a flyout from Sterling stranded both aboard.

Mueller was effective early in his third start of the season despite some free passes, stranding a runner in scoring position with a punchout to end the first and generating a double play ball to end the second.

After Kalmer led off the third with his second single of the day and Stem followed up with a double, Eisenstat picked up his second and third RBIs with yet another double that brought them both home before a pair of grounders ended the inning with him on third.

The Waves finally made Mueller pay for the miscues in the bottom of the frame, jumping him for six runs on three hits and three walks along with a pair of balks and a HBP to take their first lead. After a bases-loaded double from Cam Conley yielded three runs, Deschryver took the mound in relief, walking Schoen but ending the inning with a routine grounder.

With LHP Nathan Diamond replacing Kniskern in the fifth, GU got back to work, with Samperi hit by a pitch and Coballes walked to get two aboard with nobody out and the heart of the order up to the plate. Apodaca struck out swinging, but Kalmer juiced the bases with another walk and Stem delivered with a two-run single to center field that regained the advantage. Eisenstat picked up his fourth RBI of the day with a groundout that got Kalmer across to tack on another run before a popup kept things moving. 

Deschryver tossed a 1-2-3 inning to slow Pepperdine's roll in the bottom of the frame, inducing a pair of grounders before Kalmer collected a foul drive. Samperi drew his second walk in as many innings with one out in the fifth and reached third on a single from Coballes and fielder's choice knock from Apodaca, but was kept from reaching home after Kalmer flied out.

Back-to-back singles from Charles Masino and Jack Baseer threatened with nobody out in the bottom of the inning, but Deschryver managed to keep the Waves' advance minimal, allowing a sac fly for the first out before striking his way out of the inning to retain the lead. He kept rolling in the sixth, tossing another hitless inning with a pair of foulouts and his third K of the day.

The Zags grounded into double plays after drawing leadoff walks two innings in a row in the sixth and seventh frames, with GU failing to get a runner aboard afterwards in both. But Deschryver remained durable and continued to generate foulout opportunities and routine fly balls, working around Baseer's fourth single of the game to hold the Waves scoreless for the second consecutive frame.

The Zags found themselves in another two-out hole in the final frame after Stem and Bozett were both retired with nobody on, but Eisenstat, Pinales and Sterling all came through with singles in succession, with Sterling's yielding a pair of insurance runs that put GU up 10-7.

With three outs left for the Waves to get back in the game, Deschryver retired the first two batters he faced, both with balls in play. Masino picked up his first base knock of the day in the next at-bat, but Deschryver induced a grounder to seal the series-clinching win.

UP NEXT / FOLLOW THE GAME
The Zags' next league series is set for March 30-April 1 at Coach Steve Hertz Field at Patterson Baseball Complex. Live stats and streaming options are available on GoZags.com — follow @ZagBaseball on Instagram and Twitter for live updates, highlights and more.