GCU narrowly misses sweep, settles for split

Saturday, February 16

Phoenix, Ariz.

11 a.m.

Grand Canyon

2-0

Ball State

0-2

Ball State

Grand Canyon

2/16/2019 3:30:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Photo Gallery

Lopes blow out Ball State, drop heartbreaker to Wichita State

By: Josh Hauser

The Grand Canyon baseball team narrowly missed a sweep of its Saturday doubleheader, stranding the go-ahead run on base in the nightcap against Wichita State. GCU started the multi-site doubleheader with a convincing win over Ball State at Brazell Field at GCU Ballpark.

Game 1

The hits took time to start collecting for GCU, but the Lopes took advantage of free passes in the early innings to grow a lead.

GCU benefited from four walks and a hit batsman in the first inning alone to score four times and take a 4-1 lead.

In his first collegiate action, freshman pitcher Pierson Ohl didn't allow the Cardinals to string hits together. Ohl and his defense turned Ball State rallies into one-run frames in the first and second.

"The first one's always tough," Ohl said. "But it was easy with my boys behind me. It's unbelievable knowing that I can go out there and give up a good one (run inning) and come back with another four-spot on the board. It really boosts my confidence."

Ohl proved durable in his first career outing, tossing 95 pitches. The righty lasted 5.2 innings, scattering nine hits but allowing just two runs while striking out four.

"Surprisingly enough, I didn't know how many hits they had just because of our offense," Ohl said.

Senior designated hitter Pikai Winchester led off the third with a solo shot to right-center to extend the lead to 5-2.

GCU held Ball State in check through a quiet middle three innings.

Seemingly every time the Cardinals began to threaten, GCU ended the frame with a solid defensive play. Senior right fielder Quin Cotton threw a runner out at the plate to end the first. Senior Tyler Wyatt made a diving stop at third base and threw out the runner to end the second. Most notably, senior center fielder Preston Pavlica made a diving grab to end the sixth inning and prevent what would have been a game-tying, bases-clearing, extra-base hit.

The Lopes started tacking on runs late in the game. The hit that broke the game open came in the seventh inning when junior Kona Quiggle cleared the bases on a one-out double to put GCU in front 9-2.

In addition to Ohl, freshmen Nick Hansen and Jake Jarvis saw their first career action. Hansen came up with an RBI single during his sixth-inning pinch-hit appearance.

GCU held Ball State scoreless over the game's final seven innings. Behind Ohl, the bullpen combination of Josh Andrews, Coen Wynne and Dalton Chapman allowed just two hits over 3.1 scoreless innings of relief.

The Lopes combined for 21 runs on 22 hits through their first two games of 2019.

Game 2

Saturday's nightcap against Wichita State at Tempe Diablo Stadium was a tale of two halves. The Shockers built an 8-1 lead on the strength of 15 hits through 5 1/2 innings, only to have most of their lead erased by a late GCU rally.

Senior Austin Bull legged out an infield single to begin the ninth inning and sophomore Cuba Bess drew a walk right on his heels. With the tying and winning runs on base and nobody out, Wichita State sophomore Alex Segal settled down to retire the final three batters and preserve the Shockers' win.

GCU's rally began in the sixth inning when Bess hit a solo home run far beyond the right field wall. Quiggle walked and scored the second run of the frame on a Wyatt double to make the score 8-3.

Winchester pulled GCU one run closer with an RBI single in the seventh.

The Lopes did most of their damage in an eighth inning where they plated three runs on four hits to pull within a run before a promising ninth-inning rally fell flat.

GCU's bullpen had a productive evening with five relievers combining to allow just two runs and two hits over 5.1 innings of work.

The list of early-season collegiate debuts grew with Brodie Cooper-Vassalakis, Michael Perzan and Seth Beckstead all seeing their first collegiate action.

Following a Sunday off day, the Lopes will wrap up opening weekend with a Monday matinée against No. 9/12 Stanford. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. at Brazell Field at GCU Ballpark.