Gonzaga Baseball completed a series sweep to open up West Coast Conference play in its Sunday finale with San Francisco, with the Bulldogs (6-12, 3-0 WCC) getting a gem on the mound from LHP Matthew Mueller in his second career start and a timely four-spot in the eighth to put the game out of reach late.

After a 1-11 start to the season, Gonzaga are winners of three straight and five of their last six, one of only two WCC teams to wrap up their first conference weekend series without a loss. GU has won its last eight WCC-opening series, and its last four at home.

Mueller held the Dons (9-7, 0-3) to just three hits and one earned run over a career-high eight innings of work, responding with three consecutive hitless frames after USF plated runs in the fourth and fifth to get back within one. The true freshman lefty struck out seven only four days after holding Minnesota to just two earned runs over five frames in his first career start on Tuesday. In the last five days, Mueller has thrown 13 innings, allowing only three earned runs on seven hits while striking out 16 in total.

RHP Jack Moffit kept it going with a hitless ninth to slam the door on a rally, generating a double play ball and a routine grounder to end the game.

"Really good start to league play," said GU Head Coach Mark Machtolf. "It's not easy to sweep anyone, and we think USF is going to win a lot of games this spring."

The Bulldogs loaded the bases with less than two outs on the board in each of their last three innings at the plate, pushing across a run to go back up by two in the seventh before connecting on four hits – two of them doubles – in the eighth to increase the lead to six. 

Sam Stem went 3-for-5 to lead a 13-hit outing for the Bulldogs, who averaged 15 hits and 8.7 runs per game over the three-game swing. Stem finished the weekend 8-of-14, driving in six runs over that span. 

GU scored its first five runs off of outs, with Brock Bozett (1-for-2) finishing with two RBIs on a pair of sacrifice flies. Enzo Apodaca (3 R, 1 RBI) and Tommy Eisenstat (1 R) both picked up two hits apiece, with Connor Coballes (2 R, 1 RBI), Brian Kalmer (1 RBI), Grayson Sterling (1 R), Ezra Samperi (1 R) and Savier Pinales all picking up a base knock each.

"Can't say enough about the two freshmen today," Machtolf said. "Mueller was great on the mound, and Sam Stem continued to have a great weekend at the plate. Going to enjoy this one, and quickly turn the page to a big home game Tuesday with Washington State."

After a 1-11 start to the season, the Zags have won three straight and five of their last six. The Zags play host to the Cougars (14-4, 3-2 Pac-12) for some midweek nonconference action Tuesday at Patterson Baseball Complex, with first pitch set for 6 p.m.

All-Time Series
With the win, the Bulldogs are 38-36 against USF since 2000 and have won 10 of their last 13 matchups with the Dons. Gonzaga is 27-11 against teams from the state of California at home since 2019, and 21-8 the past two seasons. 

The Action
Mueller was effective from the get-go, holding the Dons hitless in the first frame despite a pair of GU errors that allowed two aboard. Coballes continued his eight-game on-base streak with a leadoff base knock, with Apodaca following with a walk to bring up Kalmer – who delivered the game-winning RBI Saturday night – with nobody out. Kalmer smacked a 2-1 pitch through the left side to load the bases, and Stem and Bozett both brought in the first two runs of the game with an RBI groundout and a sacrifice fly.

After a second hitless frame from Mueller that saw him pick up his first K of the outing, the Zags kept getting traffic on the bases – Sterling and Eisenstat both picked up leadoff singles, and Samperi laid down a bunt to push them to second and third with one out. Another sac fly – this time from Coballes – got Sterling home from third to extend the lead to three before Barron could induce a grounder from Apodaca to get out of the frame.

Mueller picked up his third K of the day in his third hitless inning on the mound, but the Dons finally got to him after GU was retired in order in the bottom of the frame. Mario Demera picked up USF's first hit with a leadoff single of his own and stole second and another base knock from Michael Campagna cut the lead to two before a popup and fly ball ended the inning.

The Dons mounted a threat after getting another one back in the fifth thanks to another leadoff single that was cashed in by an RBI grounder, but Mueller stopped the bleeding with a 1-2-3 inning while notching a new career-high with his sixth frame on the mound. 

After three scoreless frames, GU loaded the bases with nobody out with three consecutive singles from Stem, Bozett and Pinales to threaten to break the game open, but Dons starter Jesse Barron responded with three consecutive outs – including two strikeouts on Sterling and Samperi – to keep GU from padding the lead.

Mueller remained effective in the seventh, tossing a second straight 1-2-3 frame and ending with his 6th K of the outing, and the Bulldogs found some rhythm again at the plate in the bottom of the inning. Apodaca wore a HBP and Kalmer drew his second walk of the day to get things started, and Stem loaded the bases yet again with his second single of the day – and seventh of the weekend – to increase the pressure. Bozett connected on his second sac fly of the day to get GU back on the board, but another grounder kept the Zags from capitalizing further.

In the eighth, Eisenstat deposited a one-out single in shallow left field to make it four consecutive innings with a GU batter picking up a base knock, and Samperi followed with a wall-grazing double to put two runners in scoring position for the third straight frame with the top of the order up next. Coballes drew a walk to load the bases a third time, and GU opened the floodgates with four unanswered runs in the next three at-bats to put the game out of reach. Apodaca provided the Zags' first base hit RBI with a single and Kalmer added another run with a sac fly before Stem smacked a momentum-swinging double off the wall to bring in two more.

With plenty of insurance runs on the board, Moffitt took the mound in the final frame, walking Campagna in his first at-bat but inducing a double play and a grounder in the next two to end the game and complete the Zags' big sweep.