SPOKANE, Wash. – Gonzaga baseball returned home from a 12-game road trip and continued to roll on Friday at Patterson Baseball Complex, opening a series with Pacific by defeating the Tigers 8-1. The Bulldogs have now won eight of their last nine games and stand tied atop the West Coast Conference standings.
 
Gonzaga (10-13, 3-1 WCC) scored quickly in the first to give Finbar O'Brien (W, 2-0) a quick advantage, taking a 1-0 lead over Pacific (10-17, 0-4 WCC) before scoring in four consecutive innings to blow the game open 8-0.
 
The highlight for the Zags on Friday came in the fifth when Josh Hankins and Hudson Shupe clubbed back-to-back home runs. Hankins struck his first of the season before Shupe followed up two pitches later for his second blast of 2025.
 
O'Brien continued to roll while the GU offense piled on the runs, completing a career-high eight innings, allowing just one run on three hits and striking out a career-high nine. The sophomore walked just one batter on the night.
 
After a 4-for-5 performance on Tuesday, Hankins continued his hot hitting Friday, recording a 2-for-2 night with two runs batted in and two runs scored, adding a double and a walk to his fifth-inning homer. Shupe was the leader on the night with three hits, a 3-for-5 night while notching two RBI and a run scored.
 
Jacob Wrubleski added a big hit in the fourth inning, a two-run double to deep center field that scored two, while Gage Mestas (2-for-4, R) and Max Coupe (1-for-3, 2 R) added knocks for the Bulldog offense.
 
GU starting pitchers have now thrown at least six complete innings in nine consecutive games, with the Bulldogs winning eight of those nine contests.
 
UP NEXT
Gonzaga and Pacific will battle Saturday evening at 6 p.m. in game two of the series. Miles Gosztola will take the mound as the Bulldogs look to clinch the series.