Big seventh inning fuels GCU

Saturday, May 12

Phoenix, Ariz.

6 p.m.

Grand Canyon

28-22, 15-5

Sacramento State

28-21, 14-6

Sacramento State

Grand Canyon

5/12/2018 9:11:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Lopes even series, retain WAC lead

By: Josh Hauser

Grand Canyon rode a four-run seventh inning to an 8-5 Saturday night victory to even the three-game series with Sacramento State at Brazell Field at GCU Ballpark.

Things got off to a rocky start for the Lopes, as the Hornets plated three runs in the first inning. But senior Jake Repavich -- in his final start on his home turf -- settled down to toss four consecutive scoreless innings.

"That's the most important part is understanding you have a lot of ballgame left," Repavich said. "I knew I could make a good quality start out of it regardless of the three in the beginning."

Repavich finished the night with a six-inning, 111-pitch outing where he tied his career high with eight strikeouts.

"I told him out there on the mound, 'You started your career here on this mound as a boy, now you're going to end it as a man. Let's just get it done right here,'" pitching coach Rich Dorman said. "He bowed his neck and gave his team a chance to come back and win this game. Those four zeros in a row were huge."

Repavich struck out the side in the second and two each in the third and fourth innings.

"It was a little more sentimental tonight," Repavich said. "I didn't try to let that get in my head. Just throw like I've been throwing and just go get a win-- even it up tonight."

To curb some of the Hornets early-game momentum, the Lopes cut into the 3-0 lead on an Ian Evans' first-inning home run.

The Lopes scored two more in the fourth inning to tie. Zach Malis hit a solo homer to lead off the frame. Preston Pavlica hit his first of two doubles on the night, and he scored when Tyler Wyatt hit a ground ball to third base.

"I was kind of hoping it would hit me so [the catcher] didn't tag me out," Pavlica said. "It was a good, aggressive play and it worked out in our favor."

Pikai Winchester made it back-to-back frames with a leadoff homer for GCU, hitting his second longball of the season and the longest home run of the evening.

In the seventh, GCU doubled its run tally -- turning a 4-4 tie into an 8-4 lead. Evans hit an RBI single, Pavlica drove in a run on a double, and Austin Bull smacked a two-run single.

The bullpen trio of Josh Andrews, Nick Ohanian and Mick Vorhof limited Sacramento State to one run on one hit over three innings of work. Ohanian earned his fourth win of the season.

GCU enters Sunday's series finale in a familiar position: playing a rubber game for the fifth straight weekend. Similarly to Repavich, Ethan Evanko will make his final home start. It will be a senior day matchup where GCU honors Repavich, Evanko, Vorhof, Evans, Mike Lundin and Jeramy Smith. First pitch is set for 12 p.m.