Lerouge's walk-off single clinches series over UTRGV

Saturday, April 22

Phoenix, Ariz.

2:00 p.m.

Grand Canyon

18-19, 0

UT Rio Grande Valley

21-21, 0

UT Rio Grande Valley

Grand Canyon

4/22/2017 7:26:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Josh Hauser

PHOENIX - Griffin Barnes hit a double down the right field line to begin the 10th inning, and Tom Lerouge delivered the walk-off single to score Barnes and give GCU a 5-4 win in extra innings. The Lopes' second walk-off hit of the season clinched their fifth straight series victory to open conference play.

"I was just happy they were getting to me," Lerouge said after the Vaqueros walked Austin Bull in front of Lerouge. "I was thinking to myself, 'I'm going to walk it off right here.' When they walked Bull, I was excited. I knew I was going to see pitches, didn't try to rush, just stayed calm in the box and it happened."

Over four hours prior to Lerouge's walk-off single up the middle, Jake Repavich started on the hill for the Lopes. The lefty had arguably his best outing of the season, tossing 6.2 innings of three-hit, one-run baseball to go along with five strikeouts. He retired 13 consecutive batters at one point, before allowing his only run in the seventh inning.

"Repavich was outstanding," pitching coach Rich Dorman said. "He attacked from the first pitch to the last pitch. I felt like there was only three pitches he didn't throw with conviction. For the most part, he executed really well and gave his team a chance to win."

The Lopes got on the board first in the third inning on a unique play. Evans popped the ball up far down the first base line. While Vaqueros first baseman Victor Garcia Jr. made a great diving catch, he collided with the wall and allowed all runners to tag up, sending Marc Mumper home. Grand Canyon took a 1-0 lead on the foul pop up sacrifice fly. Garrison Schwartz helped the Lopes play add-on, with a slow-rolling single up the middle scoring two runs. At the conclusion of the third, Grand Canyon led 3-0.

Repavich worked his way out of some early trouble with his signature pick-off throw to first. He erased a leadoff error in the first and a leadoff single in the second on pick-offs. The lefty ran his total to six on the season, a mark which now leads the conference.

After Repavich allowed his only run of the contest in the seventh, the GCU bats countered with a run in the home half. Bull and Lerouge each recorded one-out singles before Schwartz connected on another RBI single, running his team-leading RBI total to 30 on the season.

The Vaqueros used three runs in the eighth to tie up the score. A walk and an error extended UTRGV's time at bat with the tying run scoring on an unearned run.

UTRGV looked poised to take a lead in the ninth inning. The Vaqueros had runners on the corners with just one out. Mick Vorhof, on in relief, allowed a pair of singles before GCU opted to walk UTRGV's top offensive player, Jose Garcia, to load up the bases.

"We pick each other up and make plays," Dorman said. "We faced the heart of their lineup and Mick gets an infield pop and then a punch-out. I think we got the momentum back. Mick made big pitches right there."

Vorhof delivered by drawing an infield fly and coaxing an inning-ending strikeout.

While the Lopes couldn't walk it off in the bottom of the ninth, Bobby Milacki threw a scoreless top of the 10th inning and gave GCU the chance to win it in the 10th. Barnes doubled, Mumper laid down a sacrifice bunt and Bull was intentionally walked, setting the stage for Lerouge's walk-off magic. Milacki earned his first career win in a GCU uniform.

Grand Canyon ended the afternoon with 15 hits in the 4:09 game, the longest of the season. Lerouge, Schwartz and Zach Malis each posted three hits, while Bull also had a multi-hit game. The Lopes nearly tripled the Vaqueros' hit total at 15-8.

The Lopes continue their Division I-best series win streak to open WAC play, having claimed their fourth consecutive series. Grand Canyon will look to remain perfect in home conference games when the teams conclude the series tomorrow. LHP Jack Schnedier (3-0, 3.60) is set to face UTRGV righty Luis Acosta (0-1, 5.56) in a noon first pitch.