Slim home losses extend GCU skid

Sunday, April 14

Phoenix, Ariz.

12 p.m.

Grand Canyon

17-18, 5-7-0

UT Rio Grande Valley

23-12, 9-3-0

UT Rio Grande Valley

Grand Canyon

4/14/2019 4:41:00 PM | Baseball, Paul Coro

Box Score Photo Gallery Photo Gallery

UTRGV sweeps GCU with 2nd extra-inning win

By: <a href="http://gculopes.com/index.aspx?path=coro">Paul Coro</a>

The difference between wins and losses in baseball can be miniscule on pitch location, a fielder's throw, bat speed or decision time.

The small shortcomings build into the narrow losses that Grand Canyon baseball has been experiencing during a six-game losing streak. The Lopes took an extra-inning loss Sunday for the second consecutive game, following a pair of one-run losses.

GCU still has most of the WAC season remaining but falling 9-7 to UT Rio Grande Valley in 10 innings Sunday at GCU Ballpark has put the two-time defending regular-season champs in a hole. The Lopes (17-18, 5-7 WAC) are four games behind a three-team tie for first place.

It nearly was not that way when GCU took a 6-3 lead to the ninth inning but UTRGV (23-12, 9-3) rallied with a two-out, ninth-inning grand slam and only needed one hit in the 10th inning to score twice because of an error and a base on balls.

"It's no fun getting beat in your own ballpark," Lopes head coach Andy Stankiewicz said after being swept in a home conference series for the first time since April 2016. "It stings a lot. We didn't play well enough to win. Right now, we're playing just well enough to lose. We play well enough to keep it close but not well enough to take control of a ballgame and smother them when we take a lead. We're still providing opportunities for them, whether it be an error or a walk. It came back to bite us all weekend."

After losing 3-2 on Friday night and in 13 innings Saturday night, GCU was deadlocked at 3-3 for three innings until senior second baseman Marc Mumper led off the seventh with a double in a two-run inning. An inning later, senior center fielder Preston Pavlica knocked in a run for the second time with a sacrifice fly for a 6-3 lead.

After sophomore Jack Schneider allowed two earned runs over six innings and sophomore Nick Hull pitched two shutout innings, the Lopes used three pitchers in the ninth inning as the Vaqueros came up with a two-out single and grand slam to take a 7-6 lead.

GCU senior Pikai Winchester, coming off the bench Sunday, went 2 for 2 and tied the game in the ninth inning with a two-out home run to the opposite field on a 1-2 count.

But a leadoff error sent UTRGV on its way to the decisive two-run 10th inning that included two well-executed sacrifices.

GCU had its best hitting game (10 for 36) since it last won on April 5 with junior right fielder Quin Cotton, freshman Johnny Weaver and Winchester each hitting twice.

Cotton returned to the leadoff spot for the first time since March 23 and led off the game with a stand-up triple. He is hitting .444 (22 for 50) since March 27 and has four consecutive multi-hit games.

"I'm just trying to do my part and keep the offense going by getting on base and driving in runs to make it easier for our pitching staff," Cotton said. "Wherever the team needs me, I'll be there."

GCU has played three of the WAC's top four teams and only one of the other six. Before the Lopes return to conference play Thursday with a home series against Seattle U, GCU will play at UNLV on Tuesday night.

UTRGV did not make an error in the three-game series at GCU to enter a first-place tie with New Mexico State and Sacramento State.

"We've got to get better," Stankiewicz said. "They (the Vaqueros) had more grit. They had more want-to. They had more desire than we did. We've got to run on all facets of the game – pitching, offense, defense. We're showing good things in spurts but that's why it's a nine-inning game. We just didn't play complete baseball. We played well in segments of the game. You can't afford to play in just pieces of the game. You have to play the entire game and we didn't do that all weekend."

GCU did not lose a WAC series for the past two seasons but has lost three series this season, putting the experienced lineup in a new position to improve into its best version for WAC Tournament play.

"We just need to be consistent," Cotton said. "Some days, we're hitting well and not pitching as well. Other days, we're pitching great and not hitting as well. We have to be consistent and pitch well, hit well and play defense every day. You can't take days off, especially in conference.

"We're definitely in a position we haven't really been in before but this is a part of the season where we're going to find out who we really are."

Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.