PULLMAN, Wash. – Gonzaga completed their season sweep of Washington State with a 6-4 win at Bailey-Brayton Field on Tuesday. With the score knotted at two heading into the ninth inning, the Zags plated four runs before shutting down a Cougar rally to hang on for the win.
Gonzaga (17-20) earns its first win in Pullman since 2021, with Washington State (18-21) having won the previous two meetings at Bailey-Brayton.
GU was first to strike, plating a run in the top of the fourth. With runners on the corners,
Vincent Temesvary took off for second as
Hudson Shupe waited for the throw from the Cougar catcher before swiping home.
Tommy Eisenstat followed with a single to put runners back on the corners, but a double play ended the threat.
Washington State was quick to answer, knotting the score at one with an RBI groundout from Joey Kramer, but the Zags retook the lead in the sixth.
Payton Knowles singled before advancing all the way around to third on a balk and a wild pitch. After Temesvary wore a pitch off his foot, Eisenstat singled through the right side to drive in Knowles.
Once again, the Cougs would respond to bring the score to a 2-2 tie in the bottom half of the frame.
Matthew Mueller started for GU and worked his longest outing of the season, pitching five and one-third innings while allowing just two runs on two hits and striking out five. He gave way to
Nate DeSchryver in the bottom of the sixth, who threw two and two-thirds scoreless while striking out a pair.
Gonzaga and Washington State were locked in a 2-2 tie heading into the ninth inning before a one-out rally plated four runs to give the Zags a 6-2 lead.
Josh Hankins drove in the go-ahead run with an RBI single through the left side,
Sam Stem scored on a wild pitch,
Peyton Miller punched an RBI single to left, and
Max Coupe scored on a passed ball to highlight the inning. Gonzaga sent eight batters to the plate before the final two outs were recorded.
WSU didn't go quietly in the ninth, plating two runs on an RBI double from Cole Cramer and an RBI groundout from Joey Kramer.
Michael Cunneely closed the door on the Cougs with a strikeout to give the Bulldogs a 6-4 win and season sweep.
UP NEXT
The Zags will head to San Diego for yet another crucial West Coast Conference series starting Friday. The Toreros are currently in second place in the WCC standings behind Gonzaga, with this series a potential factor in seeding for the conference tournament in Las Vegas. Follow @ZagBaseball on social media for all the latest updates, and check gozags.com for results and streaming information.
