Lopes win third straight 10-inning WAC game

Friday, April 28

Las Cruces, N.M.

5:00 p.m.

Grand Canyon

20-21, 14-2

New Mexico State

26-17, 11-2

Grand Canyon

New Mexico State

4/28/2017 10:26:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

By: Josh Hauser

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Friday's opener was not for the faint of heart, as the Lopes overcame a late three-run deficit to force extras and plated a pair of two-out runs in the top of the 10th to defeat New Mexico State 11-9 at Presley Askew Field. It was the third consecutive conference victory coming in the 10th inning for GCU.

"It wasn't your typical Friday night game," head coach Andy Stankiewicz said. "You have to love the fight and love that the guys stayed in it. It's good to see guys showing some resiliency and staying in the fight. It was a great win for us."

While there was no shortage of key hits and key RBIs, no moment proved to be bigger than an eighth-inning home run from Ian Evans. The junior -- who had previously homered in the fourth inning -- hit a two-out, two-run shot to right-center field to tie the game. The long ball capped a three-run eighth inning for GCU, responding to a big five-run blow in the seventh inning by the Aggies.

Holding New Mexico State scoreless in the home-half of the eighth required some nifty defending. Tyler Wyatt -- with his back against the outfield wall -- gloved the first out of the inning with a head-high catch in left field. Garrison Schwartz made a leaping grab to record an out on a hard-hit line drive to right. To end the frame with a runner stranded on third, Josh Meyer tracked down a high pop up in foul ground near the home dugout. The big defensive inning kept the tie intact and helped send the game to extras.

In the 10th, the Lopes loaded the bases with one out on a single by Greg Saenz and back-to-back walks from Austin Bull and Tom Lerouge. With two outs, Grand Canyon took advantage of a little good fortune when New Mexico State could not record an out on a dropped third strike, with the go-ahead run scoring from third. Preston Pavlica tacked on an insurance run with an infield single to put Grand Canyon in front 11-9.

After Mick Vorhof spun 2.1 scoreless innings, Josh Andrews retired the final three batters, including two via strikeout, and picked up his first career save. Vorhof was the winning pitcher for the second time this season.

The Aggies scored the first run of the game in the second inning. A wind-aided fly ball landed at the base of the wall and scored a runner from second before GCU starting pitcher Jake Wong used a pick-off at second base to get out of the inning.

After only recording a pair of hits through the first third of the ballgame, Grand Canyon struck for five hits in the fourth, leading to four runs. Evans led off with a deep home run to straightaway center field to knot the score, his third of the season. Pavlica followed up with another extra-base hit, doubling to right-center, advancing to third on a fly ball and scoring on an infield single from Wyatt. Marc Mumper came out with a clutch, two-out single to score another two runs and grant the Lopes a 4-1 lead.

New Mexico State quickly ended GCU's time in front by tying the score with three unearned runs in the bottom of the fourth. The first run of the frame scored on a dropped tag at the plate with an ensuing RBI groundout and RBI double knotting the score at four.

"The guys have to relax," Stankiewicz said of his defense. "Sometimes we make the moments bigger than they are. It's baseball. It's the same game. We get a little tense."

Grand Canyon reclaimed its lead with two runs in the seventh. Bull walked to begin the inning, and back-to-back doubles by Lerouge and Evans scored two runs.

But the Aggies pushed across five runs in the seventh inning to take their largest lead of the game. All five runs were unearned after the Lopes committed three errors in the frame.

Trailing 9-6, GCU responded immediately in the eighth, working exclusively with two outs. Bull singled up the middle and scored on another RBI double from Lerouge. Evans' then came up with the aforementioned game-tying home run. Evans is the first GCU batter to record multiple home runs in a single game this season, and the first to do so since Pavlica homered twice at Kansas State last year.

Wong finished the night with 6.0 innings of work, allowing seven hits but just one earned run. The right-hander struck out five. On the other hand, New Mexico State starter Marcel Renteria labored in the fourth and couldn't escape the seventh, allowing six runs on 10 hits in 6.0 innings.

Evans logged GCU's first four-hit game of the season and posted a four-RBI performance for the second time in the past week. It was the first four-hit game for a Grand Canyon batter since Lerouge had five hits in the final home game of 2016 against Nevada on May 17.

With the win, the Lopes extended their lead in the WAC standings to 1.5 games over New Mexico State.

The series is set to continue on Saturday afternoon, with Jake Repavich (4-3, 3.90) taking the hill for GCU opposite Kyle Bradish (6-0, 2.18). First pitch from Las Cruces is scheduled for 1 p.m. MST.