Mechals leads GCU to 3rd shutout

Friday, April 19

Phoenix, Ariz.

6:30 p.m.

Grand Canyon

19-18, 7-7

Seattle U

8-28, 4-10

Seattle U

Grand Canyon

4/19/2019 9:31:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Lopes clinch series vs. Seattle U with 6-0 win

By: Josh Hauser

Grand Canyon junior pitcher Kade Mechals did not allow a run and combined with sophomore reliever Frankie Scalzo for a 6-0 win Friday night against Seattle U that clinched the series at GCU Ballpark.

For GCU (19-18, 7-7 WAC), it was the third shutout victory of the season. Mechals went seven strong innings and scattered six hits while striking out six.

"We just had a plan," Mechals said. "They're aggressive hitters so we wanted to get ahead early with a lot of off-speed stuff. We felt like we'd get a lot of early swings and it worked today."

Seattle U (8-28, 4-10 WAC) outhit GCU 6-5, but the Lopes only faced six Redhawks batters over the minimum.

"Take it any way you can get it," GCU head coach Andy Stankiewicz said. "Kade Mechals did a fantastic job. Frankie Scalzo did what we need him to do. We did get out-hit, but we got to first base. We drew the walks, we took some hit by pitches, we did some of those things. We did a really good job of situational hitting. It was a good offensive approach where we took what the game gave us and allowed us to get a win."

Despite only five hits, the Lopes put 16 runners on base, compared to just eight for the Redhawks. GCU drew eight walks, hadtwo hit batsmen and reached once on an error.

"We've got to keep putting those kind of at bats together," Stankiewicz said. "Just gritty, unselfish ABs, not leaving the zone. That's got to be part of what we're able to do well is lock in on that pitch. If it's not our pitch, then take it. That's the way we've got to do it and that's how we've been successful."

Lopes junior left fielder Kona Quiggle led off the second inning with a solo home run to left field, his eighth blast of the season.

Quiggle's blast began a streak of four consecutive innings where GCU put a run on the board. Sophomore first baseman Cuba Bess hit a sacrifice fly in the third. Senior designated hitter Pikai Winchester doubled in a pair in the fourth. Senior third baseman Tyler Wyatt hit a sacrifice fly in the fifth.

With a 5-0 lead in his back pocket, Mechals cruised to the longest outing of his career.

"It makes it so much easier to pitch," the right-hander said of pitching with a lead. "Then, all I have to do is go out there and give them more ground balls and just attack early. You don't have to be as defensive early. You can just attack, attack, attack."

In picking up his eighth victory of the season, Mechals never allowed more than one hit in an inning. The most serious threat Seattle U posed came in the fourth when the first two batters reached. But the junior diffused the rally by throwing out a runner himself on a sac bunt before coaxing a strikeout and a fly ball.

"I just trust my defense behind me," Mechals said. "I trust Dor (pitching coach Rich Dorman), I trust (sophomore catcher) David (Avitia) putting the signs down. It's no pressure really. We had the lead, so I just had to execute pitches."

Mechals lowered his ERA to 2.47, the fourth-best mark in the conference this season. He continues a dazzling inaugural GCU season in which he leads the WAC in victories with eight.

"It's been a blessing, it really has," he said. "I've just been enjoying the ride. My journey here, my future, it's not really like anyone else's. I've just been enjoying the ride and using it as motivation to keep going and getting better."

Thanks to a double-play ball wiping out a leadoff walk in the eighth, Scalzo faced the minimum over his two innings of work to finish off the Redhawks.

For good measure, freshman shortstop Jonny Weaver added an insurance run with GCU's third sacrifice fly of the game to reach the final tally of 6-0.

The Lopes have posted shutout wins over Seattle U, Xavier (6-0 on March 14) and California Baptist (3-0 on March 22).

GCU and Seattle U meet Saturday for the series finale with first pitch moved an hour earlier at 11 a.m.