Gonzaga Bulldogs outlast Washington State Cougars in high-scoring affair at Bailey-Brayton Field

Gonzaga erupted for 13 runs in a wild, back-and-forth contest at Bailey-Brayton Field, defeating Washington State 13-6 in a game defined by a relentless Bulldog offense that repeatedly answered every Cougar surge. Noah Meffert paced Gonzaga with three hits and three RBI, while the Bulldogs sent Washington State's pitching staff scrambling through seven arms before the final out was recorded.

The game was decided largely in the opening innings, when both offenses traded haymakers in rapid succession. Gonzaga struck first as Meffert drove in a run, then Bo Shinkle added two more to give the Bulldogs an early advantage. Washington State answered immediately, with Mason Pirello delivering a two-run hit to tie things. But Gonzaga kept coming — Mikey Bell plated two, Meffert added three more, Jacob Wrubleski drove in three, Tommy Eisenstat contributed one, and Shinkle tacked on two additional RBI in the same stretch, building a commanding lead before Washington State could find stable ground.

The Cougars refused to fold quietly. Max Hartman had a two-run hit to trim the deficit, and Pirello came through again with another two-RBI knock, while Ryan Skjonsby added one more to make things briefly interesting. But Gonzaga's offense had too much volume and too much depth for Washington State's staff to contain. Bell drove in two more and Meffert finished with a third multi-RBI contribution on the day, extending Gonzaga's advantage to the final margin of 13-6.

Washington State starter Brock Blatter lasted just 3.1 innings, allowing seven hits, three earned runs, and three walks before departing. What followed was a procession through the Cougar bullpen that proved costly: Rylan Haider, Trevor Stowe, Taber Fast, and Erik Rodriguez combined to surrender eight runs — seven of them earned — while recording just two outs among them. Dillon O'Neil and Kaden Wickersham provided scoreless relief to close out the game, but the damage was long done.

Gonzaga starter Zachary Bowman had his own difficulties, laboring through 3.1 innings and allowing seven hits and four earned runs against a Washington State lineup that was far from passive. Pirello was a particular thorn, producing multiple RBI contributions, and Hartman reached base and scored three times. Mickey McClaskey came on in relief for the Bulldogs and worked 2.2 innings, surrendering two earned runs while striking out two, providing enough stability for Gonzaga's offense to do the rest.

With the victory, Gonzaga improves to 17-17 on the season in the West Coast Conference — a meaningful win for a program trying to stay relevant in the back half of the schedule. Washington State falls to 30-25 in Mountain West Conference play, a tough home loss that exposed real vulnerability in a bullpen asked to do too much. Both teams return to action quickly, with Washington State hosting New Mexico on Saturday and Gonzaga heading to Eugene to face Oregon on Tuesday.