Lopes conclude season with a loss at UTRGV

Saturday, May 21

Edinburg, Texas

10 a.m.

Grand Canyon

25-28-1, 13-14

UTRGV

21-28, 10-14

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Grand Canyon	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	3	9	1
UT Rio Grande Valley	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	X	4	4	0

5/21/2016 3:39:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

By: Steven Gonzalez

EDINBURG, Texas – Grand Canyon baseball concluded its 2016 season with a 4-3 loss to UT Rio Grande Valley. Despite the loss, GCU ends the year winning its final series as GCU says goodbye to its eight seniors. The Lopes end the year with a 25-28-1 overall record and 13-14 in the Western Athletic Conference.

"These seniors put GCU on the map and have shown the younger players how to play baseball at GCU," head coach Andy Stankiewicz said. "The season may not have gone the way we wanted but I am proud of our seniors and the mentality they brought to the ballpark every day."

After coming in for relief in the fourth inning, Jake Repavich had one of his best outings of the season, throwing four scoreless innings, not allowing a single hit and threw a career-high eight strikeouts. Senior Krysthian Leal ended his career with two hits, the only player to pick up two hits from either team.

The Vaqueros jumped on the Lopes early, scoring three runs in the first inning and the Lopes had to play catchup for the rest of the game. GCU continued to battle throughout the game, showing no quit as GCU scored in the second, seventh and eighth inning.

GCU's first run of the game came in the second inning, with runners on the corners. Jared McDonald grounded to second, sacrificing himself, allowing Matt Haggerty to score. In the seventh inning, Garrison Schwartz picked up his 37th RBI of the year, leading GCU this season, with a single to right center, scoring Thomas Lerouge to make it 4-2 in UTRGV's favor.

To make it even closer heading into the ninth inning, Greg Saenz came in to pinch hit for the Lopes in the top of the eighth inning and delivered with a solo home run to left field. The home run was Saenz's second of the season, ending the year with 13 RBIs.

Despite not scoring in the ninth inning, senior Paul Panaccione ended his career at GCU, the only way he could, with a hit, leading off the inning with a single. The captain ended the season with a .363 batting average, 52 hits, four home runs and 26 RBIs.

"I can't thank our coaching staff enough for giving me the best four years of my life," Panaccione said. "We didn't have the season we wanted but I am proud of how well we help build this program. I will forever cherish the memories I had at GCU."