Top-seeded Gonzaga absorbs stunning loss to fifth-seeded Saint Mary's in WCC tournament opener

May 22-SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - Top-seeded Gonzaga was outpaced at the plate by fifth-seeded Saint Mary's in a matchup of the West Coast Conference's top two offensive teams. The Zags' first-team all-conference starting pitcher was outshined by a Gaels reliever who had his best performance of the season.

The WCC regular-season champion Bulldogs absorbed a stunning loss in their conference tournament opener, falling 13-4 to Saint Mary's on Thursday afternoon in the quarterfinals at Scottsdale Stadium.

GU (35-18) will now have to win four consecutive games to claim the WCC tournament title. The Zags will meet No. 3 seed San Francisco at 10 a.m. Friday in an elimination game.

The Bulldogs swept the Gaels (32-24) in a three-game series in April, outscoring SMC 27-11 in Moraga, California. But in Game 4, GU struggled to contain SMC's lineup and couldn't rattle Gaels starter Sam Kretsch (5-2), who entered the game with a 7.07 ERA and had only made five starts all year.

Kretsch had given up four runs on three hits and two walks in two innings of relief during a 14-4 loss to GU on April 18, but the sophomore kept the Zags' potent lineup relatively quiet over six innings Thursday, allowing two runs on four hits and one walk with six strikeouts.

Meanwhile, All-WCC GU pitcher Justin Feld (8-2) labored through his worst start of the season, surrendering six runs on seven hits with one strikeout in 3 1/3 innings. SMC chased Feld in the fourth after he loaded the bases on a lead-off double, a plunked batter and a walk, then gave up a two-run double.

SMC took a 6-2 lead with its five-run fourth inning, then added on with an RBI-double in the fifth, an RBI-bunt single in the seventh and a pair of two-out RBI knocks in the eighth, which put the Gaels ahead 11-2.

Four GU relievers combined to allow 11 hits over 5 2/3 innings. The Gaels finished with 18 hits - the second-most allowed by the Zags in a game this season, and only the third time GU has given up 15 or more hits.

Saint Mary's led the WCC this year in batting average (.330) and had about 60 more total bases than the Zags ahead of the postseason, while GU paced the conference in runs scored, doubles and homers. But the Gaels overpowered GU's lineup Thursday, tallying four doubles, two triples and capping the day with a two-run homer by Nick Allred in the ninth.

The Zags finished with nine hits and just one for extra bases. They struck out 11 times - tied for third-most in a game this season - and were sat down in order in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings.

GU went up 2-1 in the bottom of the third on an RBI-double from Noah Meffert and a run-scoring single from Hudson Shupe, but Kretsch settled down and limited the damage, and the Zags' lead was short-lived. SMC swiped the momentum with five runs in the fourth and stayed ahead comfortably from there. The Bulldogs plated two with the game out of reach in the bottom of the ninth.

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published May 21, 2026 at 7:14 PM.