Avitia's game-winning hit levels series

Saturday, March 27

New Orleans, La.

12 p.m.

Grand Canyon

10-12-1

Tulane

10-11

Grand Canyon

Tulane

3/27/2021 5:30:00 PM | Baseball

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GCU shrugs off Tulane rally with 9th-inning run, game-ending double play

By: Josh Hauser

NEW ORLEANS — Grand Canyon senior David Avitia snuck a two-out single down the left-field line to push the game-winning run across as GCU evened the series with an 8-7 win over Tulane at Turchin Stadium on Saturday.

"I was just trying to get something good to hit," said Avitia, the Lopes catcher who entered the game as a defensive replacement in the eighth inning. "Everybody off the bench today was just great. At the end of the day, you just have to get a good pitch to hit and put a good swing on it."

The Lopes (10-12-1) sealed the victory with a smooth 5-4-3 double play initiated by Dane Stankiewicz, turned by Juan Colato and finished off by Nick Hansen to thwart a late Tulane threat.

"It's a good stepping stone for us today," GCU head coach Andy Stankiewicz said. "We need to understand that it's a nine-inning game. A lot of the time we just play a good inning or two when we have to play nine. We weathered some storms."

The Lopes used bench depth to their advantage, with late substitutions coming up big in key positions. Freshman Dustin Crenshaw had a pinch-hit single and was moved into scoring position on a successful sacrifice bunt by Stankiewicz, setting up an eighth-inning scoring opportunity. Senior Brayden Merritt pinch hit and laid down a ninth-inning sacrifice bunt to pave the way for the eventual game-winning hit by Avitia in his first plate appearance of the game.

"Everybody has a role and everybody has to buy into that role," Stankiewicz said. "Whatever role you have, be excited about that role. That was cool to see guys bought into that and capitalized on those opportunities. What's the result? It's not always going to be a win, but it's going to create success."

The three-hour, 35-minute game did not lack for drama from start to finish.

GCU jumped on Tulane (10-11) immediately with a four-run first inning. In systematic fashion, the Lopes had four run-scoring hits in a five-batter span. Brock Burton, Colato, Ryland Zaborowski and Hansen each picked up RBIs as GCU went up 4-0 early.

Zaborowski's RBI double stirred some controversy. His hit hugged the first-base line and just barely remained fair. Amid the tight call and a diving fielder, the first-base umpire's fair signal was belated and created hesitation by both clubs. The correct call — fair ball — eventually came seconds later and Zaborowski cruised into second with a double. The delay in ruling forced the eventual ejection of Green Wave head coach Travis Jewett in the middle of the first inning.

Tulane's dugout and fans fueled off the energy of the ejection, and the Green Wave scored an adrenaline-filled two runs in the first inning after a leadoff hit followed by a home run to straightaway center. Lopes junior starting pitcher Pierson Ohl settled things down with a pair of strikeouts to limit the damage.

"I thought Pierson Ohl did a great job," Stankiewicz said. "We got a four in the first, and then we gave up a two. But that's OK. There's such thing as a good one and a good two, especially when emotions are running and you're getting kind of frantic. He made some pitches and only gave up a two. That's a big part of our development. Our guys have to learn from that. I thought Pierson did what he usually does, which is battle and make some big pitches. He kept us right where we needed to be."

The Lopes quickly restored their previous four-run lead with a pair of runs in the second. After replay proved that GCU senior shortstop Channy Ortiz reached safely on a throwing error, left fielder Elijah Buries hit a no-doubt home run to left field The freshman's first career home run gave him a team-leading 18 RBIs.

For the second straight day, Tulane came all the way back from a four-run deficit. The Green Wave scored one in the second, one in the fifth, two in the sixth and one in the seventh to knot the score at 7-7.

The Lopes could not take advantage in the eighth inning, when they had a runner in scoring position with less than two outs. But Colato led off the ninth with a single, moved to second on Merritt's bunt and scored on Avitia's hit.

Lopes senior right-hander Frankie Scalzo picked up his fourth save of the season, even after having to work around a leadoff error.

As in Friday's series opener, the teams tied in the hit column. Colato logged his first three-hit game of the season. Senior right-hander Keaton Glover earned his first Lopes victory and rightfully so, tossing 1 2/3 shutout innings of hitless baseball to put an end to Tulane's run of three consecutive scoring innings.

Competing in just its second three-game series of the season, GCU will play its first rubber match with freshman right-hander Carter Young set to climb the hill for Sunday's 10:30 a.m. (Phoenix time) first pitch.