GCU begins seven-game road stretch in Las Vegas

TUESDAY, MARCH 14 - WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15
GRAND CANYON LOPES 4-8 (0-0 WAC) SERIES RELEASE	vs.	UNLV REBELS 8-8 (0-0 MWC) ~~SERIES RELEASE~~

GAME ONE	GAME TWO
Tuesday, 6 p.m. MST	Wednesday, 2 p.m. MST
RHP John Richy (0-1, 5.68) vs.	RHP Chase Maddux (0-0, 9.00) vs.
LHP Gabe Benavides (0-0, 0.00)	TBA
Stats \| M ountain West Network	Stats \| M ountain West Network

The Grand Canyon baseball team is set to play its first mid-week series of the 2017 season when it heads to Las Vegas, Nev. to play two games with UNLV. It's the first of two consecutive mid-week series against the Mountain West Conference, with a two-game series against New Mexico set for next week. But first, this week's two-game series will feature a Tuesday night game (6:05 p.m. MST) and a Wednesday afternoon game (2:05 p.m. MST).

The Lopes are coming off of a 2-1 series defeat at the hands of San Francisco at Brazell Stadium last weekend. After dropping the series opener, Grand Canyon looked poised to take Game 2 and force a Sunday rubber match. But the Dons mounted a big ninth-inning rally to claim the middle game of the series. GCU was forced to settle for a victory in the series finale when Ian Evans hit a walk-off single in the home-half of the ninth.

After not playing in a mid-week game to this point, GCU will participate in a mid-week game for the next five weeks. The two-game set in Las Vegas continues the busiest portion of the 2017 schedule for Grand Canyon, in the midst of playing 13 games in a 17-day stretch.

Grand Canyon and UNLV split a two-game series last season, with each team winning their road contest. GCU began the brief, two-game season series with a victory in Las Vegas. Tom Lerouge had a two-RBI single down the left field line to break a late-game 7-7 tie as GCU went on to win 10-8. Back in Phoenix less than two weeks later, GCU's offense fell flat just one day removed from a series sweep of CSU Bakersfield.

UNLV enters the two-game series with an even 8-8 record. The Rebels are already playing Mountain West Conference games, coming off of a three-game sweep of Air Force.

Left-hander Gabe Benavides (0-0, 0.00) is set to make his first career start in the series opener on Tuesday. Wednesday's GCU starter is to be determined.

Following the two games with the Rebels, Grand Canyon will head to Malibu, Calif. for three games. Friday and Sunday, the Lopes will match up with Pepperdine. Sandwiched between those two games, GCU will meet Long Beach State for one game on Saturday.

For more news and notes, click here for the 2017 GCU Baseball Media Guide and click here for the series release.

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Players Mentioned

Gabe Benavides

Ian Evans

Tom Lerouge

Grand Canyon University Athletics