Lopes value WAC-opening sweep

Sunday, March 25

Phoenix, Ariz.

12 p.m.

Grand Canyon

10-13, 3-0

Chicago State

4-17, 0-3

Chicago State

Grand Canyon

Photo by: Michael Rincon

3/25/2018 3:35:00 PM | Baseball, Paul Coro

Box Score

GCU downs CSU with 10-run inning, 5 shutout relief innings

By: <a href="http://gculopes.com/index.aspx?path=coro">Paul Coro</a>

The previous three Western Athletic Conference regular-season baseball championships have been decided by one game in the final standings.

Grand Canyon knows this well because the Lopes claimed titles in two of those years, including waiting until the final day of the WAC season to become champions last year.

So even though GCU entered Sunday already having clinched its 10^th consecutive WAC series win, the Lopes felt the urgency when they trailed Chicago State for six consecutive innings before busting out with a 10-run eighth inning in an 11-2 victory at GCU Ballpark.

GCU (10-13, 3-0) opened conference play with a three-game series sweep of the Cougars, battling back Sunday from a 2-0 hole against an ace that Chicago State saved for the series finale.

The Lopes chased Cougars senior left-hander Zach Thomas, who entered Sunday with a 3.23 earned run average, by loading the bases with nobody out in the eighth inning. GCU batted around the order before the Cougars recorded an out in an eight-hit, three-walk, 10-run inning.

"This is bigtime because, at the end of the season, it's wins like this that matter," said Lopes junior second baseman Austin Bull, who started the rally with his third single of the game. "You don't want to get complacent and then lose and have it come back to bite you at the end. Any random day in March could cost you so you've got to stay on it."

After Bull's hit, each of the next five Lopes reached base for the first time in the game. Sophomore right fielder Quin Cotton singled. Junior designated hitter Pikai Winchester finished a seven-for-14 weekend with a perfect bunt to load the bases, forcing Chicago State to pull Thomas after 103 pitches.

Junior third baseman Zach Malis drew a walk to tie the game and junior shortstop Marc Mumper followed with a go-ahead, two-run double to the left field wall.

"Before we even scored, Pikai gets a bunt down, Bull has a good at bat, Ian has an incredible at bat – doesn't swing at a slider in the dirt and gets on," Mumper said. "When you have kids that are taking good pitches and having great at bats, it rolls on and give us more confidence one through nine to know we can do it."

GCU relievers Coen Wynne, Nick Ohanian and Mick Vorhof threw five innings of no-hit ball, giving the bullpen 9 1/3 no-hit, shutout innings for the three-game series. Ohanian's perfect inning earned his first win. Wynne shut out Chicago State for three innings, following up the freshman's two shutout innings of relief Wednesday against Kansas.

"He's really come on," GCU head coach Andy Stankiewicz said. "He attacks with his fastball and his breaking ball has come along really nicely."

The Lopes' pitching effort began with senior left hander Ethan Evanko, who received his first start since March 12, 2016. Evanko gave up two runs over four innings, allowing a two-run second inning when he was leaving pitches high in the zone. Otherwise, Evanko brought his two-seam fastball down and mixed in sliders to show Stankiewicz enough to earn another start.

"I felt a little bit like a freshman again because I wasn't used to the routine of being a starter," Evanko said. "It was good to get back on the mound and help the team win."

Evanko, a fifth-year senior, battled elbow issues until he missed all of last season as part of an 18-month recovery from Tommy John surgery.

"I knew when I was coming back from the rehab that this is what I wanted," Evanko said of being part of a season with a new stadium and postseason eligibility. "It was good to rehab toward something more than the regular season. We get to be the first team to go to the WAC tournament and hopefully a regional and a Super (Regional).

"It's good to be back. I feel good. I feel strong. I feel healthy and that's all that matters."

Evanko was helped greatly in the second inning by sophomore left fielder Kona Quiggle, who made a charging, diving catch with the bases loaded and two outs. Quiggle, part of a defense ranked 25^th nationally entering the weekend, added another nice running catch in the left-center field gap in the fifth inning.

"Those are the things that are huge," Stankiewicz said of the second-inning catch when Chicago State already led 2-0. "If we don't make that play, they score a couple more runs possibly and now we're chasing four instead of two. We just stayed in it and were able to string some nice ABs (at bats) together late. That's got to be part of what we understand as an offense. Don't panic. Stay with our game plan."

Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.