Waves of offense overcome 11 GCU hits

Tuesday, March 23

Phoenix, Ariz.

6 p.m.

Grand Canyon

9-10-1

Pepperdine

8-10

Pepperdine

Grand Canyon

3/23/2021 10:40:00 PM | Baseball, Paul Coro

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Colato puts together 2nd consecutive 2-for-4 game for Lopes

By: Paul Coro

Even on an 11-hit Tuesday night, a Wednesday afternoon rematch could not come soon enough for Grand Canyon.

The Lopes matched their third highest hit total of the season, but it was nowhere near enough to keep up with Pepperdine's offense in a 14-5 nonconference loss at GCU Ballpark. The Lopes and Waves will meet again Wednesday at 3 p.m.

GCU head coach Andy Stankiewicz's alma mater spoiled the first time that one of his Lopes teams hosted Pepperdine officially. The Waves posted five-run innings in the second and sixth, as their surging offense posted a double-digit scoring total for the sixth time in their past 10 games.

Pepperdine (8-10) used 12 hits, five for extra bases, and eight walks in the game to stay in control despite the Lopes scoring in each of the first three innings. GCU (9-10) was poised to score more, but had four of its runs cross home on sacrifice flies.

There were still GCU offensive highlights, notably Preseason WAC Player of the Year Juan Colato regaining his form at the plate. Colato, a junior second baseman, went 2 for 4 with a double for the second straight game and has reached base safely in 10 consecutive games.

"All the credit goes to Coach Stank, actually," Colato said of Stankiewicz. "He is always watching videos and finding adjustments that I have to make or things that I was doing last year. He helped me today and the last couple games to keep my elbows together. That's been working so props to him. We'll keep working and grinding and hopefully the trend will keep going up."

GCU senior center fielder Brock Burton posted his seventh multi-hit game of the season, going 2 for 3 with a walk to raise his season batting average to .329.

The team's leading hitter continues to be Lopes freshman Elijah Buries, who has started 11 of the past 12 games. The Upland, California, native is batting .462 this season after going 1 for 3 with a walk Tuesday. His third-inning single helped GCU load the bases with nobody out, but the Lopes came away with only one run to leave Pepperdine's lead at 6-3. Facing GCU pitchers, the Waves stretched the lead to as much as 14-3.

GCU senior catcher David Avitia, making his second start behind the plate and first nine-inning game, picked up an eighth-inning RBI for the Lopes' fourth run. Colato knocked in the Lopes' final run in the ninth inning, when freshman Dustin Crenshaw doubled to right-center field on a 2-2 count. The Chandler, Arizona, native from Perry High School scored on Colato's full-count single up the middle.

The 2 p.m. short series finale will be shown Wednesday on GCUTV.