Upcoming Event: Baseball versus MLB Desert Invitational on February 13, 2026
Baseball
vs MLB Desert Invitational
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Tuesday, February 26
Phoenix, Ariz.
6 p.m.
Grand Canyon
3-5
3
vs
5
UC Riverside
3-6
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
UC Riverside
2
2
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
5
8
0
Grand Canyon
0
1
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
3
9
2
Bullpen battles in tight loss
2/26/2019 9:28:00 PM | Baseball
Four relievers combine to allow one run over 7 1/3 innings
The Grand Canyon baseball team allowed four early runs and could not complete a rally in a 5-3 loss to UC Riverside on Tuesday night.
GCU (3-5) fought back from the 4-0 deficit to make the score 5-3 through five innings, but UC Riverside (3-6) did not allow a Lopes run in the final four innings despite multiple scoring opportunities.
A strong effort from the Lopes bullpen kept the door open for the GCU offense to claw its way back into the game. Zach Barnes, Coen Wynne, Cole Hoskins and Nick Ohanian combined to allow just one run over 7 1/3 combined innings, striking out nine and walking just one.
The Lopes took the first step towards recovering from a 4-0 deficit when sophomore designated hitter Cuba Bess hit his second home run of the season in the second inning.
UC Riverside momentarily restored its four-run lead with a single tally in the fourth before GCU put together its only multi-run frame of the night.
In the fifth, junior outfielder Quin Cotton hit a one-out triple to the right field wall and scored on a wild pitch. Senior first baseman Pikai Winchester singled and also eventually scored on a wild pitch to make it 5-3.
GCU had at least one runner on base in each inning from the sixth on, but strikeouts plagued the Lopes and put a wrench in scoring chances.
Freshman right-hander Brodie Cooper-Vassalakis had two outs recorded just four pitches into his first collegiate start but struggled to gain control from that point on. He allowed four runs, although both of the Highlanders second-inning runs were unearned due to an error that prolonged the inning.
GCU outhit UC Riverside 9-8 with both teams stranding 10 runners on the basepaths. Multi-hit efforts came from Cotton, Winchester and senior third baseman Tyler Wyatt.
The Lopes head back out onto the road for a three-game weekend series at USC starting on Friday night.
GCU (3-5) fought back from the 4-0 deficit to make the score 5-3 through five innings, but UC Riverside (3-6) did not allow a Lopes run in the final four innings despite multiple scoring opportunities.
A strong effort from the Lopes bullpen kept the door open for the GCU offense to claw its way back into the game. Zach Barnes, Coen Wynne, Cole Hoskins and Nick Ohanian combined to allow just one run over 7 1/3 combined innings, striking out nine and walking just one.
The Lopes took the first step towards recovering from a 4-0 deficit when sophomore designated hitter Cuba Bess hit his second home run of the season in the second inning.
UC Riverside momentarily restored its four-run lead with a single tally in the fourth before GCU put together its only multi-run frame of the night.
In the fifth, junior outfielder Quin Cotton hit a one-out triple to the right field wall and scored on a wild pitch. Senior first baseman Pikai Winchester singled and also eventually scored on a wild pitch to make it 5-3.
GCU had at least one runner on base in each inning from the sixth on, but strikeouts plagued the Lopes and put a wrench in scoring chances.
Freshman right-hander Brodie Cooper-Vassalakis had two outs recorded just four pitches into his first collegiate start but struggled to gain control from that point on. He allowed four runs, although both of the Highlanders second-inning runs were unearned due to an error that prolonged the inning.
GCU outhit UC Riverside 9-8 with both teams stranding 10 runners on the basepaths. Multi-hit efforts came from Cotton, Winchester and senior third baseman Tyler Wyatt.
The Lopes head back out onto the road for a three-game weekend series at USC starting on Friday night.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Petrovick,Hayden (1-0)
L: Cooper-Vassalakis, Brodie (0-1)
S: Arnone,Alec (1)
Batting:
2B: Cannon,Connor 1 ; Orick,Dylan 1 ; Shanks,Jacob 1
RBI: Orick,Dylan 2 ; Taylor,Yeager 3
SH: Sanchez,Damien 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Mannens,Justin 1 ; Cannon,Connor 2 ; Orick,Dylan 1 ; Shanks,Jacob 1
HBP: Cannon,Connor 2
Batting:
3B: Cotton, Quin 1
HR: Bess, Cuba 1
RBI: Bess, Cuba 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Cotton, Quin 1 ; Quiggle, Kona 1 ; Bess, Cuba 1
SB: Cotton, Quin 1 ; Pavlica, Preston 1 ; Wyatt, Tyler 1
HBP: Quiggle, Kona 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
5
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
3b/ss
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
RHP
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