NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Gonzaga baseball was down 7-1 in the seventh inning against #6 Vanderbilt, but an eight-run inning capped off by a grand slam from Jordan Hamberg put the Bulldogs in front on their way to a 9-8 win Sunday.
 
Gonzaga (1-5) benefitted from two Vanderbilt (5-3) errors in the seventh, both of which came on the cusp of Hamberg's second career grand slam and first home run in a GU uniform. The Bulldogs sent 11 runners to the plate in the inning, scoring eight runs on five hits.
 
Despite a heartbreaking loss Saturday afternoon, Gonzaga's offense got started right away in the first inning on Sunday. Within the first three batters of the game, the Zags had a 1-0 lead.
 
Disaster struck in the second as Vanderbilt put up six runs on five hits to knock Gonzaga starter Liam O'Brien after just one-plus inning. Another VU run in the fourth set the stage for the Bulldogs' eight-run seventh.
 
Payton Knowles and Sam Stem led off with pinch hit singles before a third-straight hit from Tommy Eisenstat loaded the bases. A sacrifice fly from Tyler Griggs secured the first run, and Miller loaded the bases once again with his second hit of the afternoon. A fielder's choice and two VU errors left the bases loaded for Hamberg.
 
A 2-0 fastball found the heart of the plate as Hamberg sent a line drive just over the wall in right-center field, giving Gonzaga a 9-7 lead in front of a crowd of nearly 3,600 at Hawkins Field.
 
The Bulldogs turned to Daniel Sotelo in the seventh as he shut the door on Vanderbilt, surrendering just one run on three hits and striking out two over three innings of work. Matthew Mueller (1-0) earned the win for Gonzaga as one of six pitchers out of the bullpen. Alex Kranzler (0-2) was charged with the loss while Sotelo (1) picked up his first GU save.
 
UP NEXT
Gonzaga will make the short drive to Clarksville to take on Austin Peay on Monday at 11 a.m. PST. Follow @ZagBaseball on social media for all the latest updates, and check gozags.com for results and streaming information.