Ortiz walk-off homer tops No. 16 Arizona

Tuesday, April 13

Phoenix, Ariz.

6 p.m.

Grand Canyon

18-14-1

Arizona

21-10

Arizona

Grand Canyon

4/13/2021 11:10:00 PM | Baseball

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Lopes win 2nd consecutively against Wildcats in 10-inning thriller

By: Josh Hauser

Channy Ortiz smacked a home run over the right-field wall to give Grand Canyon a 10th-inning walk-off victory over No. 16 Arizona at GCU Ballpark on Tuesday night. The Lopes forced extra innings by scoring a run in the seventh before Ortiz's fourth home run of the season made it a 5-4 final.

"It meant a lot," the senior shortstop said. "Three D-I teams in Arizona and just getting a W against them. It's hard to describe the whole moment and everything."

Ortiz's second straight game with a home run led the Lopes (18-14-1) to their second straight victory over the Wildcats (21-10). GCU defeated a top-25 team for the fifth consecutive season and has gone 9-2 since March 27. Ortiz logged the Lopes' first walk-off home run since current volunteer assistant coach Paul Panaccione hit a 13th-inning walk-off homer against Seattle U on May 3, 2015.

Channy Ortiz

"All around, we just played a nice ballgame," GCU head coach Andy Stankiewicz said. "They're really good. You have to work to get them. We certainly worked today and put some good at bats together when we needed to. It's exciting. A good W on a Tuesday for sure."

Arizona's top-10 offense flexed its muscle early, plating four runs on eight hits through the first four innings. GCU's relief corps flipped the script and held the potent Wildcats' offense to no runs on four hits over the game's final six frames.

"It was a total team effort," Stankiewicz said. "You really have to appreciate the job that our bullpen did. Connor Markl did a great job. Frankie Scalzo, Keaton Glover, Coen Wynne, Nick Hull. They all did what we needed them to do in a night like this. That was pretty cool."

GCU used seven pitchers to navigate the 10-inning affair. The final five pitchers did not allow a run.

Arizona took an early 2-0 lead after a four-hit second inning.

The Lopes responded with a three-run second to claim the lead. Sophomore right fielder Tayler Aguilar and freshman third baseman Jacob Wilson drew walks, paving the way for freshman designated hitter Dustin Crenshaw to score two runs with a triple that bounced over the first baseman's head and rolled to the right-field wall. Crenshaw trotted home on senior catcher David Avitia's sacrifice fly to push the Lopes ahead 3-2.

Arizona quickly tied the game with a run in the third and took the lead back with another in the fourth.

The 4-3 Wildcats lead lasted until the seventh inning. Avitia had his second key plate appearance of the night, doubling down the left-field line to score Wilson from second.

Wilson scored the tying run but also kept the score tied with a defensive gem in the ninth. He gloved a ball scorched down the third-base line, collected himself and threw across the diamond for a key second out.

Glover struck out the side in the top of the 10th, and Ortiz hit a 2-2 curveball for the walk-off home run against Arizona closer Vince Vanelle, who entered with a 1.96 ERA.

"Channy hit the home run to win it," Stankiewicz said. "But second and third with two outs in the fourth and he makes a diving play up the middle. That's a huge play. If that ball gets by, this game has a total different look. Jacob Wilson makes the diving play down the third-base line to get a big out there too."

GCU has won back-to-back games against the Wildcats for the fourth time in the 88-game, 54-year history of the series. The Lopes won 11-9 in April of 2019 at Arizona.

Before more action against in-state foes on the schedule next week, the Lopes will travel to Las Cruces, New Mexico, for a four-game WAC series at New Mexico State beginning on Friday.