Big bats not enough; ASU visits for Game 2

Tuesday, April 20

Phoenix, Ariz.

6:35 p.m.

Grand Canyon

22-15-1

Arizona State

20-11

Grand Canyon

Arizona State

4/20/2021 10:29:00 PM | Baseball, Paul Coro

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Lopes hammer 3 home runs but lose 7-5 lead at Phoenix Municipal Stadium

By: Paul Coro

Grand Canyon put up a run for each season it had gone without playing crosstown program Arizona State.

After 10 seasons without a GCU-ASU meeting, a Lope 10-spot seemingly would have boded well but fell short in a 13-10 loss Tuesday night at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. The Sun Devils will return the trip Wednesday for a 6 p.m. televised game (FOX 10 Xtra) at GCU Ballpark.

The Lopes (22-15-1) would take a repeat of Tuesday's lead (7-5 in the fourth inning) and offense, including their first three-home run game since March of 2020 against Pacific. It looked like GCU's eight-game winning streak ways could continue when it jumped on ASU (20-11) for a 2-0, first-inning lead, but Lope sophomore starting pitcher Jack Slominski was responsible for five Sun Devils runs after exiting without a second-inning out.

GCU tied the game at 5-5 in the third inning on freshman designated hitter Cade Verdusco's three-run, first-pitch home run to left-center field. Verdusco, a Tempe Corona del Sol High graduate, has responded to moving into a starting role on March 13 by hitting .293 this season.

The Lopes took a 7-5 lead an inning later when junior second baseman Juan Colato turned a high, inside fastball into a 410-foot, two-run home run to right field after freshman third baseman Jacob Wilson's two-out single.

"I'm trying to keep it simple," said Colato, who is 5 for 9 with two home runs in the past two games and hitting .333 in the past 11 games. "I'm trying to just hit a line drive up the middle and that's all I'm looking for, trying to help the team and get in base. That's all. If I can help the team do something big, I'll be happy.

"I'm glad I got a barrel on that one. It's always fun to hit a bomb."

Like the 2-0 lead, it did not last the inning. ASU retied the game 7-7 and took an 11-7 lead an inning later.

"We came out of the blocks tentative," GCU head coach Andy Stankiewicz said. "That was the frustrating part. We had a good first inning and that's when we're always talking about shutdown innings. You've got to go out there and compete right out of the gate. We didn't pitch well early and they put some good swings on it and jumped right back in it."

The Lopes offense kept coming with a sixth-inning RBI double on an 0-2 pitch by senior shortstop Channy Ortiz, the leadoff batter who has reached base three times in 11 games this season. Wilson grounded home a run on the next at bat to trim the Sun Devils' lead to 11-9.

"We always felt like we were chasing," Stankiewicz said. "I liked the competitive bats that we had in the middle to hold court and stay close."

GCU senior center field Brock Burton tightened the ASU edge to 11-10 in the seventh inning with his fourth career home run, a two-out, solo blast to right-center field. Senior catcher David Avitia followed that with a double but it was as close as GCU came to scoring again. ASU retired the last seven Lopes consecutively and got two insurances runs from an Allbry Major home run, his first hit since March 12.

Freshman left-hander Bryan Webb and right-hander Nick Hull each pitched perfect innings in the eighth and ninth innings to give GCU a chance to rally. It was a collegiate debut for Webb, another Corona del Sol High graduate.

"I like the job that Bryan Webb did," Stankiewicz said. "He's been working and he's been doing a lot of sim (simulation) game work. He's been getting better. We've seen his fastball has got a little life and he's got a good slider. I'm proud of him for waiting for his opportunity and getting chance to pitch in a big environment and he did a great job. Those opportunities, when you take advantage of them, will afford you more opportunities. That's probably the highlight."

Wednesday's game will mark the first ASU visit to GCU Ballpark and the Sun Devils' first game on Brazell Field since 1999. The two-game series pits teams who have 39 players from Arizona high schools and junior colleges. That comprises 44% of their combined rosters.

"We're excited to have them at Brazell and they better be ready because we're itching right now to go at it again," Colato said. "They have a really good roster, but we do as well and we can compete against anybody. That's our mentality. We play gritty baseball."