Timely hitting leads to GCU win

Saturday, February 22

Phoenix, Ariz.

6 p.m.

Grand Canyon

4-2

Fordham

1-5

Fordham

Grand Canyon

Photo by: Elizabeth Tinajero

2/22/2020 9:38:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Aguilar produces at plate; GCU relievers shut door

By: Jerob Moon

Led by another strong pitching display and timely hitting from the bottom half of the lineup, the Grand Canyon baseball team bounced back in the second game of the GCU Classic with a 6-3 win over Fordham at Brazell Field at GCU Ballpark on Saturday night.

"We played a real good ballclub," GCU head coach Andy Stankiewicz said. "Our guys did a good job. We didn't get a lot of hits, but the ones we did were productive. We put some good at bats together when we needed to. Pierson Ohl kind of kicked, scrapped and clawed his way through it and gave us a good outing into the sixth."

In his second start of the season, Ohl scattered eight hits in 6 1/3 innings on 90 pitches. After Fordham (1-5) scored a pair of runs in the second and third innings to take the lead, the sophomore allowed only one hit over the next three frames highlighted by a five-pitch fifth inning.

After Ohl was taken out in the seventh, relievers Zach Barnes and Frankie Scalzo shut the door by allowing just three hits in a combined 2 and 2/3 innings of scoreless work.

Scalzo was especially clutch when he stranded two Fordham batters on first and third base, striking out two straight batters to end the eighth. The junior picked up his first save of the season after a 1-2-3 ninth inning.

"I could not be more pleased with the job our bullpen has done," Stankiewicz added. "We've got to keep those guys fresh and keep them excited about those opportunities, but so far they look good."

The Lopes' hitters delivered runs when it mattered, hitting .429 with runners in scoring position. Catcher David Avitia provided the go-ahead RBI single in the seventh that put the Lopes in front for good.

Freshman Tayler Aguilar had the best performance of his young career, recording his first collegiate hit with a double in the fourth. The left fielder also recorded his first collegiate RBI, scoring Dominic Grissom on a single in the ninth.

"My first collegiate hit was kind of surreal," Aguilar said. "Honestly I was sitting on a fastball on the outside part of the plate because that's where we were told to look today. So I just went with the pitch. Later in the game I knew we needed an extra run to seal the deal, and I knew I needed to go outside again to drive (Grissom) in."

Aguilar ended the night with two hits and running his on-base percentage to .444 to begin the season.

GCU got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first with an RBI double by Brock Burton and a throwing error by Fordham that scored Burton from third. Grissom recorded his 10th RBI of the season on a sacrifice fly in the sixth that scored Drew Smith.

The Lopes will wrap up the GCU Classic on Sunday with a doubleheader starting first against CSUN at 11 a.m. and against Fordham at 3 p.m. at GCU Ballpark.