Completed Event: Baseball at Stanford on May 9, 2025 , Win , 4, to, 3
Baseball
at Stanford
W 4-3
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Tuesday, February 18
Phoenix, Ariz.
1 p.m.
Grand Canyon
3-1
4
vs
3
Oregon
0-4
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
R
H
E
Oregon
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
3
11
3
Grand Canyon
0
0
0
2
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
4
5
0
Photo by: Elizabeth Tinajero
Lopes grind to beat Oregon in 12
2/18/2020 6:40:00 PM | Baseball, Paul Coro
GCU bullpen allows 1 run over 7 innings
Grand Canyon players stormed Brazell Field for a walk-off win celebration Tuesday against Oregon after a wacky two-out rally with a walk, hit batsman, error and wild pitch.
But where the game was won came all over the 12 innings of the Lopes' 4-3 victory against the Ducks, making GCU winners in five of its past seven games against Pac-12 programs. GCU (3-1) has posted three Power 5 wins in the first five days of the season at GCU Ballpark.Â
"It doesn't have to be pretty," Lopes head coach Andy Stankiewicz said. "We have to be comfortable in one-run games, two-run games. It's part of our development."
The GCU defense was led by clutch moments by junior catcher David Avitia, who wiped away two Ducks scoring threats. He turned a first-inning strikeout into an inning-ending double play by throwing out a base-stealer at second base with an Oregon runner on third base. In another situation with Ducks at first and third base in the sixth, GCU senior first baseman Dane Stankiewicz fielded a grounder and threw home, where Avitia ran down one runner to tag him out near third base and made a 180-degree spin to tag another running trying to reach third.
Lopes junior designated hitter Dominic Grissom carried the offense. The Phoenix College transfer hit a two-run home run for the second consecutive game with a first-pitch, fourth-inning blast to left field and knocked in a tying run in the sixth inning with a sacrifice fly.
On the hill, GCU starting pitcher Jack Schneider faced a lefty-loaded lineup because Oregon assistant coach Jake Angier was the former Sacramento State pitching coach when Schneider relied on his change-up. But by adding a curve to his mix this year, Schneider struck out six Ducks and allowed two runs over five innings to show the GCU staff depth for mid-week games.
"We've got a group of guys that we don't care who we're playing," Schneider said. "We're just going to come out and play our brand of baseball."
Schneider was backed by a bullpen that allowed one earned run over seven innings and struck out nine batters. Relievers Cal Lambert, Cole Hoskins, Coen Wynne and Nick Hull all had scoreless stints to help drop the team ERA to 2.77 for a team that cracked the Collegiate Baseball top 30 at No. 27 this week.
"Those are all big moments," Stankiewicz said. "You think it's not that big of a moment because it's the fourth, fifth or sixth inning. Then you look back at the game and realize it was a huge moment."
GCU put on leadoff runners in the seventh and eighth innings without scoring and then needed Wynne and Hull to pitch out of 10th- and 11th-inning jams. Junior pinch-hitter Nate Gawelko nearly won the game in the 11th inning, when two Lopes were on base and he hit a two-out liner that required Oregon center fielder Anthony Hall to make a diving catch.
In the bottom of the 12th, Ortiz worked a full count before drawing a two-out walk.
"Two outs is not a death sentence," Stankiewicz said. "Just get to first base. Great at bat by Channy. Now you bring pretty good hitters to the plate and momentum swings back our way."
Ortiz moved to third when junior left fielder Juan Colato was hit by a pitch and junior second baseman Drew Smith hit a low liner that popped high off the mound. The throw to force out Smith drew Hall, who switched to first base, off the bag and loaded the bases.
Ducks head coach Mark Wasikowski was ejected disputing the call at first.
Oregon reliever Decker Stedman threw the next pitch in the dirt and past his catcher, allowing Ortiz to score the winning run and cue the team celebration.
"We just needed to get someone on base and let them play defense," Ortiz said. "If I can get on base, I feel we've got a chance.
"It feels like all the hard work that we put in the fall and coming into the spring is starting to pay off."
Â
Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
Â
Â
But where the game was won came all over the 12 innings of the Lopes' 4-3 victory against the Ducks, making GCU winners in five of its past seven games against Pac-12 programs. GCU (3-1) has posted three Power 5 wins in the first five days of the season at GCU Ballpark.Â
"It doesn't have to be pretty," Lopes head coach Andy Stankiewicz said. "We have to be comfortable in one-run games, two-run games. It's part of our development."
The GCU defense was led by clutch moments by junior catcher David Avitia, who wiped away two Ducks scoring threats. He turned a first-inning strikeout into an inning-ending double play by throwing out a base-stealer at second base with an Oregon runner on third base. In another situation with Ducks at first and third base in the sixth, GCU senior first baseman Dane Stankiewicz fielded a grounder and threw home, where Avitia ran down one runner to tag him out near third base and made a 180-degree spin to tag another running trying to reach third.
Lopes junior designated hitter Dominic Grissom carried the offense. The Phoenix College transfer hit a two-run home run for the second consecutive game with a first-pitch, fourth-inning blast to left field and knocked in a tying run in the sixth inning with a sacrifice fly.
On the hill, GCU starting pitcher Jack Schneider faced a lefty-loaded lineup because Oregon assistant coach Jake Angier was the former Sacramento State pitching coach when Schneider relied on his change-up. But by adding a curve to his mix this year, Schneider struck out six Ducks and allowed two runs over five innings to show the GCU staff depth for mid-week games.
"We've got a group of guys that we don't care who we're playing," Schneider said. "We're just going to come out and play our brand of baseball."
Schneider was backed by a bullpen that allowed one earned run over seven innings and struck out nine batters. Relievers Cal Lambert, Cole Hoskins, Coen Wynne and Nick Hull all had scoreless stints to help drop the team ERA to 2.77 for a team that cracked the Collegiate Baseball top 30 at No. 27 this week.
"Those are all big moments," Stankiewicz said. "You think it's not that big of a moment because it's the fourth, fifth or sixth inning. Then you look back at the game and realize it was a huge moment."
GCU put on leadoff runners in the seventh and eighth innings without scoring and then needed Wynne and Hull to pitch out of 10th- and 11th-inning jams. Junior pinch-hitter Nate Gawelko nearly won the game in the 11th inning, when two Lopes were on base and he hit a two-out liner that required Oregon center fielder Anthony Hall to make a diving catch.
In the bottom of the 12th, Ortiz worked a full count before drawing a two-out walk.
"Two outs is not a death sentence," Stankiewicz said. "Just get to first base. Great at bat by Channy. Now you bring pretty good hitters to the plate and momentum swings back our way."
Ortiz moved to third when junior left fielder Juan Colato was hit by a pitch and junior second baseman Drew Smith hit a low liner that popped high off the mound. The throw to force out Smith drew Hall, who switched to first base, off the bag and loaded the bases.
Ducks head coach Mark Wasikowski was ejected disputing the call at first.
Oregon reliever Decker Stedman threw the next pitch in the dirt and past his catcher, allowing Ortiz to score the winning run and cue the team celebration.
"We just needed to get someone on base and let them play defense," Ortiz said. "If I can get on base, I feel we've got a chance.
"It feels like all the hard work that we put in the fall and coming into the spring is starting to pay off."
Â
Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
Â
Â
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Hull, Nick (1-0)
L: Stedman, Decker (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Novitske, Sam 1 ; Yovan, Kenyon 1 ; Matthews, Gabe 1
HR: Yovan, Kenyon 2
RBI: Yovan, Kenyon 2 ; Zavala, Aaron 1
SF: Zavala, Aaron 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Yovan, Kenyon 3
CS: Yovan, Kenyon 1
HBP: Yovan, Kenyon 1 ; Matthews, Gabe 1 ; Zavala, Aaron 1
Batting:
HR: Grissom, Dominic 1
RBI: Grissom, Dominic 3
SF: Grissom, Dominic 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Ortiz, Channy 1 ; Smith, Drew 2 ; Grissom, Dominic 1
SB: Weaver, Jonny 1
CS: Smith, Drew 1
HBP: Colato, Juan 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
2
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
3
AB
5
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
C
/ Baseball
UTIL
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
LHP
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballGCU Baseball - WAC Tournament vs. Utah Tech - Highlights
Thursday, May 22
Baseball at Stanford - Barreras' game-winning double
Saturday, May 10
Baseball vs. Arizona (5/6/25) - Yorke homers twice to break record
Wednesday, May 07
GCU Baseball - Eli Paton walk-off single vs. UTA
Saturday, April 26