GCU limits high-power New Mexico offense to one run, four hits

Tuesday, March 21

Albuquerque, N.M.

5:30 p.m.

Grand Canyon

6-12

New Mexico

11-9

Grand Canyon

New Mexico

GCU limits high-power New Mexico offense to one run, four hits

3/21/2017 9:15:00 PM | Baseball

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By: Josh Hauser

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The Grand Canyon baseball team silenced the bats of hot-hitting New Mexico, out-hitting the Lobos 14-4 and winning the opener of a two-game series at Santa Ana Star Field on Tuesday night. GCU used a four-run second inning to jump out to an early lead that would hold through the remainder of the game.

"I was really proud of our guys tonight," head coach Andy Stankiewicz said. "Tonight was a really good team win against a very good University of New Mexico squad."

In his first career start, freshman Jack Schneider tossed 4.1 innings of two-hit, one-run baseball and exited with a Grand Canyon lead in hand. After his only other career appearance consisted of just 1.1 innings on March 14 at UNLV, Schneider went relatively deep into Tuesday's game, throwing 63 pitches. In back of Schneider, the bullpen combo of Tyler Hansen, Josh Andrews, AJ Franks and Mick Vorhof threw 4.2 scoreless frames. The four hits for New Mexico was tied for a season low for a GCU opponent.

"Young Jack Schneider stepped up big in the starting role," Stankiewicz said. "The bullpen followed suit."

Entering Tuesday's contest, the Lobos boasted a .308 batting average, a mark that was good for top-30 in Division I. New Mexico's losing streak was extended to six games, with the Lobos also taking their first home loss of the season.

On the other side of the ball, GCU pounded out a season-high 14 hits led by three-hit efforts from juniors Tom Lerouge and Garrison Schwartz. Still recovering from an injury, Lerouge made his return to center field defensively for the first time this season and made a handful of impressive plays including a leaping catch at the warning track.

"Offensively we got ourselves in good counts and took some good swings," Stankiewicz said. "It's time to get some rest and get back on it tomorrow."

Grand Canyon got its offense rolling early, posting a four-run spot in the second inning. The first four batters of the frame reached base, and all four eventually came in to score. Zach Malis began the frame with a single before Tyler Wyatt drew a walk and Cuba Bess singled to load up the bases. Schwartz drove in a pair with a double to right-center field, giving the Lopes a 2-0 lead. While Josh Meyer and Marc Mumper both grounded out, they proved to be productive outs with runners scoring on each play. GCU exited the frame with a 4-0 lead.

The Lobos got a run back in the fifth inniing -- what would prove to be their only run of the game. On a full count, Andre Pratt homered to left-center field.

From that point forward, the Lopes tacked on two insurance tallies in the sixth and eighth while also keeping New Mexico's bats in check. In the sixth, Wyatt began a two-out rally with a double off the wall in left-center and would later score on a bases-loaded walk drawn by Meyer. The final run of the ballgame came in the eighth when Austin Bull hit a bloop single to right field to score Greg Saenz from second base.

The Lopes ended the evening leaving eight runners on base, stranding the bases loaded on two occasions. Both sides played error-free baseball.

Grand Canyon and New Mexico will finish off the two-game series in Albuquerque on Wednesday afternoon with a 12 p.m. MST first pitch. Right-hander Bobby Milacki is set to take the hill for the Lopes, opposed by lefty Austin Isenhart. Following the meeting, GCU will return home to begin Western Athletic Conference play against CSU Bakersfield starting on Friday night.