Grand Canyon junior right fielder
Quin Cotton hit his third home run of the season in the Lopes' 3-2 loss to UT Rio Grande Valley on Friday night at GCU Ballpark.
Cotton's two-run homer in the fourth inning was GCU's lone scoring play on the night. After sophomore first baseman
Cuba Bess drew a walk in front of Cotton, he hit a ball over the left-center wall to tie the score at 2-2.
The Vaqueros plated what proved to be the game-winning run in the sixth. A two-out double scored the runner from second to put UTRGV in front.
GCU freshman
Pierson Ohl posted the longest outing of his young Lopes career with 7 1/3 innings of work. The right-hander picked up the tough-luck loss, allowing just two earned runs while not walking a batter.
The Lopes' best opportunity to tie the score came in the seventh. Senior center fielder
Preston Pavlica hit a one-out double to left and stole third base. During senior shortstop
Marc Mumper's at bat, UTRGV intentionally let a foul ball drop in deep right that would have scored the tying run. It proved to be the right decision, as a strikeout and a line-out stranded Pavlica at third.
GCU was held to five hits on the night with two coming from Cotton.
Sophomore
Frankie Scalzo and senior
Nick Ohanian combined for 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief in back of Ohl.
Looking to even the three-game series, GCU hosts UTRGV in Game 2 at 6 p.m. on Saturday.
Â