On Friday, Gonzaga University’s baseball team (12-13, 4-2 WCC) traveled south to Stockton, California for a three-game series against the University of the Pacific (10-17, 2-4 WCC). The Zags left Stockton with wins from their Friday and Saturday games and a 7-4 loss in Sunday’s matchup.

On Friday evening, the Zags racked up 14 hits en route to a 7-6 victory. Hudson Shupe, Maddox Haley, Ryder Young and Jacob Wrubleski each recorded three hits, and their contributions accounted for six of GU’s seven RBIs.

Shupe opened the scoring in the second inning with a single in a bases-loaded situation. The senior shined in the field for the Zags all weekend, racking up seven putouts and five assists without any errors in the three-game series.

After Wrubleski drove in another run with a sacrifice fly to increase the lead to two, Pacific’s Levi Sotomayor responded with a two-run single to even the score. Later in the inning, the junior designated hitter stole home plate after a wild pitch to bring the score to 4-2. Sotomayor led the way for the Tigers with a 3-for-5 outing. 

In the fourth inning, Haley smashed a solo homer to halve the deficit, and Young followed with two more homers in the fifth and sixth innings to reclaim the lead for the Zags. Young ended the series with a team-high four RBIs, and his performances were key to securing Friday’s and Saturday’s wins. 

Headed into the ninth inning, the score was tied 6-6. With two outs and no runners on base, Wrubleski dispatched a home run to left center field to reestablish GU’s lead for the third time, and the Zags held on in the bottom of the inning to preserve the one-run victory.

GU’s offensive frenzy spilled over into Saturday’s game, as the Zags added another 12 hits and 12 runs to the scoresheet in a seven-run victory. Haley shined from the batter’s box once again, with a perfect 4-for-4 outing which included two home runs. The designated hitter has now racked up 28 hits, six homers and 15 RBIs in just 55 trips to the plate this season, bringing his batting average to a staggering .509 on the year. 

Haley led the way for the Zags, and seven other Zags showed up in the hit column to contribute to Saturday’s win, including Reigning WCC Player of the Year Mikey Bell. Bell rifled a three-run homer in the fifth inning, and although he struggled from the batter’s box against Pacific with a 2-for-16 showing on the weekend, his homer stretched the Zags’ lead to five and was integral to putting Saturday’s game out of the Tigers’ reach.

The Zags delivered a complete performance on Saturday, but the Tigers came out on top in Sunday’s affair. Senior infielder Grant MacArthur delivered a 3-for-3 performance which included a home run and three RBIs. 

MacArthur opened the scoring in the first inning with a single to right center, which was the only run of the first two innings. Though the Zags loaded the bases with zero outs in the third, the Tigers pulled out a double play and a flyout on consecutive at-bats to limit the Zags to just one run. 

The game was closely contested and the Zags led 4-3 after six, but the Tigers pulled away after a five-hit, four-run seventh inning. Past that point, the two teams recorded just one combined hit, and the game ended with a final score of 7-4.

The Zags will return to Spokane to take on the Nevada Wolf Pack (16-9, 6-3 Mountain West) on Monday evening before a three-game series against the Pepperdine Waves (8-19, 4-2 WCC) begins on Thursday. All games are streaming on ESPN+ and live stats will be available at GoZags.com.

Declan McGill is a staff writer.