Lopes tally 12 hits, top Saint Mary's in finale

Sunday, March 5

Moraga, Calif.

2:00 p.m.

Grand Canyon

3-6

Saint Mary's

7-3

Grand Canyon

Saint Mary's (CA)

3/5/2017 5:43:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

By: Josh Hauser

MORAGA, Calif. - For the third consecutive game, the Grand Canyon baseball team pounded out 12 hits, this time in a winning effort, as the Lopes went on to defeat Saint Mary's 6-4 on Sunday afternoon. Austin Bull led GCU with two hits and three runs scored while Greg Saenz had a three-hit performance.

"This was a gut check for us today," head coach Andy Stankiewicz said. "I was proud of the way we responded."

Jake Wong (2-1, 1.89) was the winning pitcher, going six strong innings allowing four hits and three runs. Wong fanned six on the afternoon. AJ Franks spun two innings of one-run relief, setting the stage for Mick Vorhof to pitch the final three outs and earn his first save of the season.

"Jake stepped up big for us today," Stankiewicz added. "He was aggressive with his fastball in the inner-third with good mix-off speed."

The Lopes snapped a five-game skid which included four losses of two or less runs.

Grand Canyon broke a 3-3 tie in the top of the seventh with a pair of runs to take a lead that they wouldn't look back on. In the seventh, Kona Quiggle and Tom Lerouge each reached on infield singles, setting the stage for Garrison Schwartz to drive in two runs later in the frame on a single through the right side. Exiting the top of the seventh, GCU had taken a 5-3 lead.

Each team scored one run the rest of the way. After the Gaels pulled within a run, GCU added an insurance run in the top of the ninth. Bull and Saenz led off the frame with perfectly-placed bunts before a sacrifice fly by Ian Evans gave the Lopes their sixth and final score.

To build its early 3-1 lead, Grand Canyon posted single runs in the second, third and fourth innings.

In the second, a ground ball off the bat of Zach Malis brought in Evans, who had previously walked. In the third, a heads-up baserunning display from Bull led to him scoring from second base on a ball that didn't leave the infield. Malis and Barnes began the fourth with base hits, allowing a sacrifice fly from Bull later in the inning to give GCU the 3-1 lead.

Saint Mary's never scored more than one run in an inning. Limited to just six total hits on the afternoon, the Gaels had to get creative to score their runs.

One run came on a delayed steal where GCU caught a runner stealing at second, but allowed a runner to come home from third on the play. The six hits on the day marked the second-lowest output of the season for Saint Mary's, only less than a five-hit effort against nationally-ranked Washington.

Returning to Phoenix on a winning note, Grand Canyon will match up with another WCC opponent in San Francisco. The three-game weekend series will get underway at 7 p.m. MST on Friday at Brazell Stadium.