Completed Event: Baseball at Stanford on May 9, 2025 , Win , 4, to, 3
Baseball
at Stanford
W 4-3
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Sunday, April 11
Phoenix, Ariz.
12 p.m.
Grand Canyon
17-14-1, 12-4
10
vs
3
Northern Colorado
7-20, 3-13
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Northern Colorado
0
0
0
0
1
0
2
0
0
3
7
3
Grand Canyon
3
2
0
0
0
1
4
0
X
10
15
3
Season-best hitting backs historic pitching
4/11/2021 5:27:00 PM | Baseball
GCU pitches 26 consecutive shutout innings, delivers 15 hits to take series
When Grand Canyon baseball pulls off a feat that has not been done on Brazell Field since Dr. Dave Brazell was coaching on the field, something special has happened.
The Lopes pitchers threw 26 consecutive shutout innings this weekend for the program's longest shutout streak since a 28-inning streak in 1974. The final four innings of this streak came Sunday, sending GCU to a 10-3 victory against Northern Colorado and a fourth consecutive weekend series win.
The Lopes (17-14-1, 12-4 WAC) moved to within a game of first place in the conference with a performance that was more about blistering bats than historic arms. GCU peppered Northern Colorado for a season-high 15 hits with each starter picking up a hit and five collecting two at GCU Ballpark.
"That's how we've got to start it," Lopes head coach Andy Stankiewicz said. "If we got up there and take shots at hitting home runs, it's not going to be real effective. We've got to get guys to first and to second and get a line-drive base hit somewhere and then get a walk in there. Next thing you know, a one-run inning could turn into a three."
GCU pounced on Northern Colorado for a 5-0 lead after senior shortstop Channy Ortiz held a birthday bash, turning on an inside pitch for a two-run blast that was his third home run of the season.
It was right-hander Carter Young, the freshman from Wyoming, who put up early zeroes Sunday on the backs of junior Pierson Ohl and senior Dawson McCarville each throwing seven shutout innings in Saturday's doubleheader.
Young did not have his usual command but worked through it by leaning on his change-up, a pitch that he added this year. Young earned a win for his fourth consecutive outing with a 1.64 ERA in those games.
"It all started with Pierson," Young said. "Pierson was just lights out. He's a great pitcher all-around. He knows how to command the zone and challenge hitters. He just trusts his stuff all the time and it's amazing.
"I've just been trying to challenge hitters. Hitting's hard as it is. So if they can beat me, props to them. But I've got eight guys behind me playing their best defense and we'll get outs when they put it in play."
Young opened the game by retring the Bears in order on 10 pitches, setting GCU up to take a 3-0 lead in the bottom half with two walks, a double by junior left-fielder Juan Colato and a two-out RBI single by freshman third baseman Jacob Wilson.
Friday's game marked Wilson's first start since March 12 because of a hip flexor injury. He returned to practice Monday and ended the weekend with three consecutive two-hit games, as he focused on line-drive gap hitting. The Thousand Oaks, California, native capped the Sunday win with a RBI single in the Lopes' four-run seventh inning for a 10-3 lead.
"Winning two games yesterday fired us up," Wilson said. "We've got seniors who lead the dugout, fire everyone up and the bats get going. It's what we need right now.
GCU extended its lead to 6-1 in the sixth inning, when junior second baseman Jonny Weaver ripped a double down the left-field line to score freshman designated hitter Dustin Crenshaw, who had reached on a bunt single.
Crenshaw went 2 for 4 twice this weekend and is 6 or 14 with four doubles since making his collegiate debut less than three weeks ago.
Likewise, Weaver has played more lately and delivered with rangy defense and three two-hit games in a row. After a 1-for-14 start to the season, Weaver has gone 9 for 18. He made an outstanding tag on the spikes of a Bear attempting to steal in Sunday's second inning and was part of the lineup's bottom three that went 6 for 11 with three doubles.
"Us being able to string some hits together really rolls the lineup over well and allows us to score a lot of runs," Weaver said.
After GCU's lead tightened to 6-3 in the top of the seventh, the Lopes responded by opening the bottom half with five consecutive hits to all parts of the field. Sophomore right fielder Tayler Aguilar and Wilson hit successive RBI singles before Crenshaw rolled a RBI double to the right-center field wall for the 10-3 score.
"I'm just trying to see the ball, hit the ball hard mainly," said Crenshaw, a Perry High graduate from Chandler. "It's so tough coming off the bench. Timing's off overall, but more ABs comes so timing is getting slowly better."
Before the Lopes continue WAC play next weekend at New Mexico State, they will host No. 22 Arizona on Tuesday night at GCU Ballpark in a game that will be televised locally on Fox 10 Xtra.
The Lopes won 11-9 in the teams' most recent meeting two years ago in Tucson, but these Wildcats are 21-9 with .319 hitting and 29 home runs.
"They can swing it so we're going to have to be down in the zone and mix it up," Stankiewicz said. "They're pretty physical.
"Ever since we got to Division I, they're the school that started playing us right out of the gates. It's great for Arizona that we're playing them here and there and we get to play ASU this year as well. The boys will be excited to host. They're always offensive and, looking at their numbers, it won't be different."
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The Lopes pitchers threw 26 consecutive shutout innings this weekend for the program's longest shutout streak since a 28-inning streak in 1974. The final four innings of this streak came Sunday, sending GCU to a 10-3 victory against Northern Colorado and a fourth consecutive weekend series win.
The Lopes (17-14-1, 12-4 WAC) moved to within a game of first place in the conference with a performance that was more about blistering bats than historic arms. GCU peppered Northern Colorado for a season-high 15 hits with each starter picking up a hit and five collecting two at GCU Ballpark.
"That's how we've got to start it," Lopes head coach Andy Stankiewicz said. "If we got up there and take shots at hitting home runs, it's not going to be real effective. We've got to get guys to first and to second and get a line-drive base hit somewhere and then get a walk in there. Next thing you know, a one-run inning could turn into a three."
GCU pounced on Northern Colorado for a 5-0 lead after senior shortstop Channy Ortiz held a birthday bash, turning on an inside pitch for a two-run blast that was his third home run of the season.
It was right-hander Carter Young, the freshman from Wyoming, who put up early zeroes Sunday on the backs of junior Pierson Ohl and senior Dawson McCarville each throwing seven shutout innings in Saturday's doubleheader.
Young did not have his usual command but worked through it by leaning on his change-up, a pitch that he added this year. Young earned a win for his fourth consecutive outing with a 1.64 ERA in those games.
"It all started with Pierson," Young said. "Pierson was just lights out. He's a great pitcher all-around. He knows how to command the zone and challenge hitters. He just trusts his stuff all the time and it's amazing.
"I've just been trying to challenge hitters. Hitting's hard as it is. So if they can beat me, props to them. But I've got eight guys behind me playing their best defense and we'll get outs when they put it in play."
Young opened the game by retring the Bears in order on 10 pitches, setting GCU up to take a 3-0 lead in the bottom half with two walks, a double by junior left-fielder Juan Colato and a two-out RBI single by freshman third baseman Jacob Wilson.
Friday's game marked Wilson's first start since March 12 because of a hip flexor injury. He returned to practice Monday and ended the weekend with three consecutive two-hit games, as he focused on line-drive gap hitting. The Thousand Oaks, California, native capped the Sunday win with a RBI single in the Lopes' four-run seventh inning for a 10-3 lead.
"Winning two games yesterday fired us up," Wilson said. "We've got seniors who lead the dugout, fire everyone up and the bats get going. It's what we need right now.
GCU extended its lead to 6-1 in the sixth inning, when junior second baseman Jonny Weaver ripped a double down the left-field line to score freshman designated hitter Dustin Crenshaw, who had reached on a bunt single.
Crenshaw went 2 for 4 twice this weekend and is 6 or 14 with four doubles since making his collegiate debut less than three weeks ago.
Likewise, Weaver has played more lately and delivered with rangy defense and three two-hit games in a row. After a 1-for-14 start to the season, Weaver has gone 9 for 18. He made an outstanding tag on the spikes of a Bear attempting to steal in Sunday's second inning and was part of the lineup's bottom three that went 6 for 11 with three doubles.
"Us being able to string some hits together really rolls the lineup over well and allows us to score a lot of runs," Weaver said.
After GCU's lead tightened to 6-3 in the top of the seventh, the Lopes responded by opening the bottom half with five consecutive hits to all parts of the field. Sophomore right fielder Tayler Aguilar and Wilson hit successive RBI singles before Crenshaw rolled a RBI double to the right-center field wall for the 10-3 score.
"I'm just trying to see the ball, hit the ball hard mainly," said Crenshaw, a Perry High graduate from Chandler. "It's so tough coming off the bench. Timing's off overall, but more ABs comes so timing is getting slowly better."
Before the Lopes continue WAC play next weekend at New Mexico State, they will host No. 22 Arizona on Tuesday night at GCU Ballpark in a game that will be televised locally on Fox 10 Xtra.
The Lopes won 11-9 in the teams' most recent meeting two years ago in Tucson, but these Wildcats are 21-9 with .319 hitting and 29 home runs.
"They can swing it so we're going to have to be down in the zone and mix it up," Stankiewicz said. "They're pretty physical.
"Ever since we got to Division I, they're the school that started playing us right out of the gates. It's great for Arizona that we're playing them here and there and we get to play ASU this year as well. The boys will be excited to host. They're always offensive and, looking at their numbers, it won't be different."
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Young, Carter (5-0)
L: Sam LEACH (2-4)
Batting:
2B: Shaydon KUBO 1
HR: Ben MCKAY 1
RBI: Hayden HEINZE 1 ; Ben MCKAY 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Ben MCKAY 2 ; Johnny GRAHAM 1
CS: Matt BURKART 1
PO: Hayden HEINZE 1
Batting:
2B: Burton, Brock 1 ; Crenshaw, Dustin 1 ; Weaver, Jonny 2
HR: Ortiz, Channy 1
RBI: Ortiz, Channy 2 ; Colato, Juan 1 ; Aguilar, Tayler 1 ; Wilson, Jacob 2 ; Crenshaw, Dustin 2 ; Weaver, Jonny 1
SH: Weaver, Jonny 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Ortiz, Channy 1 ; Buries, Elijah 1 ; Burton, Brock 2 ; Colato, Juan 1 ; Aguilar, Tayler 2 ; Wilson, Jacob 1 ; Crenshaw, Dustin 1 ; Avitia, David 1
SB: Avitia, David 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
5
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
1
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Baseball
UTIL
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
RHP
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