On Friday, Gonzaga University\u2019s 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\u2019s matchup.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s seven RBIs.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
After Wrubleski drove in another run with a sacrifice fly to increase the lead to two, Pacific\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u2019s and Saturday\u2019s wins.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u2019s lead for the third time, and the Zags held on in the bottom of the inning to preserve the one-run victory.<\/p>\n
GU\u2019s offensive frenzy spilled over into Saturday\u2019s game, as the Zags added another 12 hits and 12 runs to the scoresheet in a seven-run victory. Haley shined from the batter\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Haley led the way for the Zags, and seven other Zags showed up in the hit column to contribute to Saturday\u2019s 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\u2019s box against Pacific with a 2-for-16 showing on the weekend, his homer stretched the Zags\u2019 lead to five and was integral to putting Saturday\u2019s game out of the Tigers\u2019 reach.<\/p>\n
The Zags delivered a complete performance on Saturday, but the Tigers came out on top in Sunday\u2019s affair. Senior infielder Grant MacArthur delivered a 3-for-3 performance which included a home run and three RBIs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n