SPOKANE, Wash. – Gonzaga baseball rallied with a pair of four-run innings to walk off with a 9-8 win over Saint Mary's on Friday at Patterson Baseball Complex and Coach Steve Hertz Field. Tommy Eisenstat drew a bases-loaded walk to stun the Gaels and give the Bulldogs the series-opening win.
 
Saint Mary's (26-23, 10-9 WCC) took an early 2-0, but Gonzaga (23-22, 14-5 WCC) responded with one in the third after Josh Hankins split the right-center gap for an RBI double.
 
The Gaels continued to score, adding one run in the fourth, two runs in the fifth, and two runs in the sixth to open a 7-1 lead. Still, the Bulldogs would not go quietly on Friday as a four-run sixth brought GU back within two. Sam Stem homered for the second time in as many games to open the charge, and three two-out runs made it 7-5 Saint Mary's.
 
After surrendering a solo home run in the top of the ninth, Gonzaga entered their final at bat trailing three. Stem opened the rally with a one-out single before two walks loaded the bases. Ty Yukumoto drew a hit-by-pitch to make it 8-6 before Hankins' fifth hit tied the game at eight. A groundout and an intentional walk to Mikey Bell set the stage for Eisenstat, who drew a five-pitch walk to bring home the winning run.
 
The Bulldogs marked a season high with 17 hits, led by a career-high five from Hankins and three from Bell. Ty Yukumoto, Hudson Shupe, Stem, and Rece Schuerman added two hits in the win.
 
Gonzaga's bullpen combined for 3.2 innings, allowing just one run on two hits. Ryan Hernandez threw two and a third while striking out three, and Kai Francis (W, 1-1) threw one and a third with his lone blunder a home run allowed to Ryan Pierce in the eighth.
 
UP NEXT
Miles Gosztola will battle against Donovan Chriss in game two on Saturday at 6 p.m. Get tickets at gozags.com/tickets or catch the action on ESPN+.