Completed Event: Baseball at Stanford on May 9, 2025 , Win , 4, to, 3
Baseball
at Stanford
W 4-3
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Tuesday, April 2
Phoenix, Ariz.
2 p.m.
Grand Canyon
16-12
11
vs
5
UNLV
17-14
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
UNLV
0
2
0
1
1
0
1
0
0
5
12
0
Grand Canyon
0
1
4
0
0
2
4
0
X
11
15
0
'Team baseball' wins 5th straight
4/2/2019 6:35:00 PM | Baseball
Every Lopes starter records hit and RBI
On an afternoon where all nine starters picked up a base hit and an RBI, Grand Canyon ran its win streak to five games with an 11-5 win over UNLV on Tuesday afternoon.
"One through nine, the lineup was swinging it well," assistant coach Gregg Wallis said. "I think we're seeing the ball well. We're playing good team baseball. The guys are relaxed and seeing the ball well."
GCU (16-12) continued an offensive resurgence which has seen the Lopes average 13.6 hits and 10.6 runs over the win streak. Pitching and defense have fueled the streak as well with GCU walking just 1.6 batters per game and committing two total errors over the win streak.
"That's huge. That's what it's going to take going forward," sophomore first baseman Cuba Bess said of the all-around hitting. "That's what good team baseball is all about. We're definitely going to need it once it comes to conference and later in the season."
Tuesday's game marked the midway point of the 2019 regular season schedule, and the Lopes surpassed last year's home run total with three more longballs on the afternoon. Bess hit his sixth of the year before sophomore left fielder Brock Burton and sophomore catcher David Avitia went back-to-back in the sixth inning.
For Burton, it was his first career home run. It also marked the first time GCU batters hit back-to-back home runs since Brandon Smith and Greg Saenz did so against Gonzaga on Feb. 20, 2016. The Lopes ran their home run total to 28 on the year, eclipsing last year's mark of 25.
"Cuba got us going with a great at bat," Wallis said. "Brock and David in the middle of the game got some good pitches to hit and put some good swings on it. We're trying to stay to the middle, they got good pitches, and they put a good swing on it and luckily we got a couple out of the yard today."
The home run wasn't all the damage Bess did on the day as he was a single shy of the cycle through three at bats. He homered in the second, doubled in the third and tripled in the fifth.
"We're swinging the bats well right now," Bess said. "This weekend, I don't think we had less than 13 hits in a ballgame. It was good that we strung together a few good at bats and everyone just kept piling on good at bats. We didn't stop once it came to two outs."
Two-out hitting was a key component of Tuesday's win with GCU recording eight two-out runs.
On the mound, the Lopes used six pitchers to get the job done. Freshman Brodie Cooper-Vassalakis got his first career victory in his second career start, going four innings and allowing three runs.
"Brodie is starting to settle in," Wallis said. "When we brought him over here, we knew he was really good. He didn't have a fall so he was rushed into this thing. Now he's starting to see what Division I baseball is about and settle in. He made good pitches today and kept us right there, and we were able to score some runs."
Dalton Chapman, Nick Hull, Zach Barnes, Cole Hoskins and Michael Perzan each saw time in relief and allowed no more than one run each. Hull, Hoskins and Perzan pitched scoreless outings.
The Rebels grabbed an early 2-0 lead in the second inning but GCU halved the deficit with Bess' home run in the home half.
GCU quickly had a lead with its first of two four-run frames coming in the third inning. The Lopes used three consecutive doubles off the bats of junior center fielder Kona Quiggle, senior third baseman Tyler Wyatt and Bess to plate runs, all coming with two outs.
UNLV used single tallies in the fourth and fifth innings to pull within a run at 5-4, but the Lopes scored six of the game's final seven runs to seal the win.
Burton and Avitia's back-to-back homers accounted for the two sixth-inning runs before RBI knocks from senior shortstop Marc Mumper, senior second baseman Austin Bull and senior designated hitter Pikai Winchester sparked a four-run seventh.
Tuesday's game marked the first time all nine starters got a base hit since a win at Loyola Marymount on May 15, 2018, also an 11-5 victory.
GCU has won five consecutive games overall and has won six of its last seven matchups against Mountain West Conference opponents.
The Lopes look to continue their momentum into a key WAC series at New Mexico State beginning on Friday. The Lopes and Aggies have each finished in the conference's top three the past two seasons and currently sit in a four-way tie for first in the early WAC standings.
"It's going to be fun," Wallis said. "New Mexico State is good. They can swing the bat. It'll be a challenge. There's a lot of good teams in the WAC this year. We'll be ready and it should be exciting."
The series gets underway from Las Cruces, N.M. on Friday at 5 p.m. (Phoenix time).
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"One through nine, the lineup was swinging it well," assistant coach Gregg Wallis said. "I think we're seeing the ball well. We're playing good team baseball. The guys are relaxed and seeing the ball well."
GCU (16-12) continued an offensive resurgence which has seen the Lopes average 13.6 hits and 10.6 runs over the win streak. Pitching and defense have fueled the streak as well with GCU walking just 1.6 batters per game and committing two total errors over the win streak.
"That's huge. That's what it's going to take going forward," sophomore first baseman Cuba Bess said of the all-around hitting. "That's what good team baseball is all about. We're definitely going to need it once it comes to conference and later in the season."
Tuesday's game marked the midway point of the 2019 regular season schedule, and the Lopes surpassed last year's home run total with three more longballs on the afternoon. Bess hit his sixth of the year before sophomore left fielder Brock Burton and sophomore catcher David Avitia went back-to-back in the sixth inning.
For Burton, it was his first career home run. It also marked the first time GCU batters hit back-to-back home runs since Brandon Smith and Greg Saenz did so against Gonzaga on Feb. 20, 2016. The Lopes ran their home run total to 28 on the year, eclipsing last year's mark of 25.
"Cuba got us going with a great at bat," Wallis said. "Brock and David in the middle of the game got some good pitches to hit and put some good swings on it. We're trying to stay to the middle, they got good pitches, and they put a good swing on it and luckily we got a couple out of the yard today."
The home run wasn't all the damage Bess did on the day as he was a single shy of the cycle through three at bats. He homered in the second, doubled in the third and tripled in the fifth.
"We're swinging the bats well right now," Bess said. "This weekend, I don't think we had less than 13 hits in a ballgame. It was good that we strung together a few good at bats and everyone just kept piling on good at bats. We didn't stop once it came to two outs."
Two-out hitting was a key component of Tuesday's win with GCU recording eight two-out runs.
On the mound, the Lopes used six pitchers to get the job done. Freshman Brodie Cooper-Vassalakis got his first career victory in his second career start, going four innings and allowing three runs.
"Brodie is starting to settle in," Wallis said. "When we brought him over here, we knew he was really good. He didn't have a fall so he was rushed into this thing. Now he's starting to see what Division I baseball is about and settle in. He made good pitches today and kept us right there, and we were able to score some runs."
Dalton Chapman, Nick Hull, Zach Barnes, Cole Hoskins and Michael Perzan each saw time in relief and allowed no more than one run each. Hull, Hoskins and Perzan pitched scoreless outings.
The Rebels grabbed an early 2-0 lead in the second inning but GCU halved the deficit with Bess' home run in the home half.
GCU quickly had a lead with its first of two four-run frames coming in the third inning. The Lopes used three consecutive doubles off the bats of junior center fielder Kona Quiggle, senior third baseman Tyler Wyatt and Bess to plate runs, all coming with two outs.
UNLV used single tallies in the fourth and fifth innings to pull within a run at 5-4, but the Lopes scored six of the game's final seven runs to seal the win.
Burton and Avitia's back-to-back homers accounted for the two sixth-inning runs before RBI knocks from senior shortstop Marc Mumper, senior second baseman Austin Bull and senior designated hitter Pikai Winchester sparked a four-run seventh.
Tuesday's game marked the first time all nine starters got a base hit since a win at Loyola Marymount on May 15, 2018, also an 11-5 victory.
GCU has won five consecutive games overall and has won six of its last seven matchups against Mountain West Conference opponents.
The Lopes look to continue their momentum into a key WAC series at New Mexico State beginning on Friday. The Lopes and Aggies have each finished in the conference's top three the past two seasons and currently sit in a four-way tie for first in the early WAC standings.
"It's going to be fun," Wallis said. "New Mexico State is good. They can swing the bat. It'll be a challenge. There's a lot of good teams in the WAC this year. We'll be ready and it should be exciting."
The series gets underway from Las Cruces, N.M. on Friday at 5 p.m. (Phoenix time).
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Cooper-Vassalakis, Brodie (1-1)
L: BALKO, Troy (1-2)
Batting:
2B: SMITH, Max 1 ; HANSON, Chase 1 ; GAMBLE, James 1
RBI: STOTT, Bryson 1 ; SMITH, Max 1 ; GAMBLE, James 2
Base Running:
RUNS: STOTT, Bryson 1 ; WILLIAMS, Edarian 1 ; TAORMNIA, Vince 1 ; HANSON, Chase 1 ; ROSENBERG, Trevor 1
SB: STOTT, Bryson 1
Batting:
2B: Bull, Austin 1 ; Quiggle, Kona 1 ; Wyatt, Tyler 1 ; Bess, Cuba 1 ; Mumper, Marc 1
3B: Bess, Cuba 1
HR: Bess, Cuba 1 ; Burton, Brock 1 ; Avitia, David 1
RBI: Bull, Austin 1 ; Winchester, Pikai 2 ; Cotton, Quin 1 ; Quiggle, Kona 1 ; Wyatt, Tyler 1 ; Bess, Cuba 2 ; Mumper, Marc 1 ; Burton, Brock 1 ; Avitia, David 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Bull, Austin 2 ; Cotton, Quin 1 ; Quiggle, Kona 1 ; Wyatt, Tyler 2 ; Bess, Cuba 1 ; Mumper, Marc 1 ; Burton, Brock 2 ; Avitia, David 1
SB: Bull, Austin 2 ; Cotton, Quin 1 ; Burton, Brock 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
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UTIL
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