GCU Falls 9-7 to Master's

Saturday, February 5

GCU

12:00 p.m.

Grand Canyon

2-1

Master's College

4-2

The Master's College

Grand Canyon

Ernesto Ortiz went 3-for-4 in today's game.

2/5/2011 4:56:53 PM | Baseball

Box Score

By: Mike McNally

The Grand Canyon University baseball team fought deficits all day today, eventually falling 9-7 to The Master’s College at Brazell Stadium.

Trailing 9-5 entering the bottom on the ninth, GCU (2-1) continued to apply the pressure, placing the tying runs on base and the go-ahead run at the plate.

Ernesto Ortiz led off the ninth with his third hit of the game and moved to second when his hustle forced a bad throw on Trevor Santor’s grounder to third base to place runners at first and second. After a PJ Garcia foul out, Tyler Bair’s one-out single loaded the bases. Colin Courtland followed by hitting a towering drive to left that plated two and cut the lead to 9-7. With the tying runs aboard, Joe Jacobson hit an infield chopper that deflected off the glove of Mustangs pitcher Danny Sheaffer directly to second baseman Parker Price, who tagged Courtland and threw to first for the game ending double play.

“I’m proud of the way we hung in and battled today,” said head coach Dave Stapleton. “But you have to play this game from innings one to nine and we didn’t do that early in the game. We are struggling a bit offensively and we will need to get that turned around quickly with a tough weekend ahead of us.”

The ‘Lopes fell behind 2-0 in the first after Mustangs designated hitter JT Adams hit an 0-1 offering from starting pitcher Justin McKee over the right field wall.

After falling behind 6-1, GCU began to mount their first rally of the game. Jackie Samora led off the home half of the fifth inning with a double and would score on an Ernesto Ortiz single. Later in the in the inning Joe Jacobson worked a bases loaded walk to cut the lead to 6-3. R.J. Etchebarren, who went 3-for-4 today, drove home Joey Bristyan with an infield single that brought the Antelopes within two.

On the mound GCU received another strong effort from reliever Cody Repenning. He scattered five hits over 4.0 innings, allowing only an unearned run.

Starting pitcher Tyler Bersano picked up the win for the Mustangs, who improved to 4-2.

Grand Canyon packs its bags and hits the road for the first time this season with a four-game series with Cal St. L.A. at Reeder Field in Los Angeles, Calif. The clubs will play a single game on Friday, Feb. 11, followed by a doubleheader on Saturday and another single game on Sunday.

Notes – Colin Courtland extended his hitting streak to 13 games (dating back to 2010)…GCU had a runner on base in every inning except the sixth and eighth…Ernesto Ortiz is hitting .556 (5-for-9) after three games this season…head coach Dave Stapleton was ejected in the eighth inning.

Full Box Score can be viewed here.