GCU drops nightcap to San Diego

Saturday, February 24

(at USD) San Diego, Calif.

7 p.m.

Grand Canyon

2-4

San Diego

5-2

Grand Canyon

San Diego

2/24/2018 8:16:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Lopes allow two four-run innings

By: Josh Hauser

SAN DIEGO - In a game that was much closer than the final tally will indicate, Grand Canyon saw a 4-0 lead turn into an 8-4 deficit in a loss to San Diego on Saturday night. All of the game's scoring was done in four-run bunches with the Toreros getting the final say with a four-run eighth.

All four GCU runs and all three GCU hits came in the fourth inning. Quin Cotton drew a leadoff walk, paving the way for Preston Pavlica to record GCU's first hit of the game on a liner to left. After another walk loaded the bases, GCU used a pair of sacrifice flies -- courtesy of Zach Malis and Marc Mumper -- to get on the scoreboard. Channy Ortiz and Pikai Winchester doubled GCU's lead with a single and double, respectively, to put the Lopes up 4-0.

The Toreros evened the scales with a four-run frame of their own in the fourth. A catcher's interference call began the frame, and things snowballed from there. USD finished the frame with four runs on three hits to quickly tie the score.

GCU turned to its bullpen early, keeping the tie game intact thanks to 2.0 strong innings of work from Josh Andrews. The lefty struck out four and allowed just one hit in his two scoreless frames.

Jeramy Smith spun one scoreless inning before running into trouble in the eighth. The first two batters of the frame walked, representing the go-ahead runs, and later came in to score on three hits in the inning.

The Lopes' defense struggled on the night, an undesirable pivot from an error-free win over Cal Poly earlier in the day. GCU had a season-high three errors.

GCU looks to get back in the win column before heading back to Phoenix with its final game of the weekend on Sunday. The Lopes will pair up with San Diego State at 3 p.m. MST with LHP Jake Repavich set to face the Aztecs' RHP Garrett Hill.