GCU cruises past Seattle U

Thursday, May 17

Bellevue, Wash.

5 p.m.

Grand Canyon

31-22, 17-5

Seattle U

32-19, 13-9

Grand Canyon

Seattle University

5/17/2018 8:37:00 PM | Baseball

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Lopes clinch top-two seed in conference tournament

By: Josh Hauser

SEATTLE - Grand Canyon scored runs in each of the first four innings and didn't look back, defeating Seattle U 12-3 at Bannerwood Park on Thursday evening. The Lopes hit the double-digit mark in the hits column for the fourth consecutive game, their fourth consecutive victory.

With the win, the Lopes (31-22, 17-5 WAC) clinched a first-round bye in next week's Western Athletic Conference tournament.

Just three pitches into the game, the Lopes had a lead. Quin Cotton led things off with an extra-base hit for the second straight game, tripling to left-center. On the first pitch he saw, Pikai Winchester drove Cotton in on a single back up the middle.

"That was big," head coach Andy Stankiewicz said of the early offense. "Their big guy -- Tarik Skubal -- is good. To be able to get some runs early-- you can exhale a bit."

In all, it was a four-run first inning for the visitors. Austin Bull drove in a run on a sacrifice fly before Tyler Wyatt picked up a pair of RBIs on a double.

To keep the momentum on GCU's side, starting pitcher Jake Wong retired the Redhawks in order in the first inning.

"Wong came out and competed like he always does," Stankiewicz said. "He put some good innings together from a pitching standpoint. We were able to keep the momentum on our side."

The right-hander went six innings en route to his ninth win of the season, limiting Seattle to two runs on six hits and striking out seven. Wong becomes GCU's first nine-game winner since Andrew Naderer went 9-3 in 2014.

The Lopes continued to tack on runs, posting single tallies in the second and third before adding three in the fourth.

"We were able to keep putting at bats together and keep adding on," Stankiewicz said. "It's a game of momentum, and we were able to keep the momentum for most of it."

Ian Evans had an RBI single in the second, Preston Pavlica hit a solo home run in the third, and Evans and Malis picked up RBI base hits in the fourth.

The Lopes scored three more runs in the seventh on RBI hits from Cotton and Winchester. GCU took a 12-2 lead, but the Redhawks got one run back to avoid the mercy rule.

"It was a real nice performance from an offensive standpoint," Stankiewicz said. "The guys did a good job of waiting to hit their pitch. It's a good win."

Winchester had his second four-hit game as a Lope, scoring three times and driving in two more. As a part of its 16-hit effort, GCU got hits from eight of the nine batters in the lineup.

GCU and Seattle U continue the three-game series at Bannerwood Park on Friday afternoon. First pitch is set for 2 p.m.