Saturday wins clinch WAC's top seed

Saturday, May 15

Stephenville, Texas

10 a.m.

Grand Canyon

32-17-1, 0

Tarleton

20-33, 0

Grand Canyon

Tarleton

5/15/2021 5:26:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Photo Gallery

GCU sweeps conference doubleheader for 5th straight weekend

By: Josh Hauser

STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Grand Canyon will be the top seed at the WAC Tournament after winning both ends of a doubleheader at Tarleton on Saturday afternoon. The Lopes and Texans dodged storms and rain to complete all 16 scheduled innings with GCU winning 12-4 and 7-3.

With California Baptist ineligible to participate in the tournament, GCU holds a seven-game edge over the next-closest WAC team in Sacramento State with only five games remaining in the regular season. The Lopes will hold the tournament's No. 1 seed for the second time after making their tournament debut as the top seed in 2018.

Saturday's two wins clinched yet another WAC series win for the Lopes who have won eight weekend series consecutively. GCU needs three more victories to tie its mark for most in a D-I season.

Game 1

Freshman third baseman Jacob Wilson hit a two-run home run in the game's second plate appearance for an early 2-0 lead in a wire-to-wire Lopes victory.

GCU scored two runs in the first and second innings before posting four spots in the fourth and sixth inning to run away with the seven-inning victory.

Wilson and senior shortstop Channy Ortiz combined for five hits and five RBIs atop GCU's lineup.

Lopes freshman right-hander Carter Young was one out shy of improving to 8-0 on the season. He limited the Texans to one earned run in 3 2/3 innings of work. Senior right-hander Coen Wynne tossed 2 1/3 innings while allowing an earned run, while freshman right-hander Connor Markl threw a 1-2-3 seventh inning to wrap things up.

In the second inning, junior second baseman Jonny Weaver and Ortiz each came up with two-out base hits to score runs and grow GCU's lead to 4-0.

Wilson followed up his two-run homer in the first with a two-run single in the fourth to put the Lopes in front 6-2. Wilson scored on an error later in the inning before sophomore designated hitter Tayler Aguilar drove in another run on a two-out single.

The Lopes used a five-hit sixth inning to score four more runs and seal the victory. Senior catcher David Avitia hit a two-run single and scored on a Weaver RBI single.

Game 2

Tarleton stranded the game's tying run 90 feet away in the eighth inning, but that was enough drama for the Lopes who responded with a four-run ninth inning to seal their seventh straight victory.

Lopes senior right-hander Dawson McCarville threw six innings of one-run baseball while surrendering four hits and improving to 4-2. Senior right-hander Frankie Scalzo picked up the save.

GCU hit three home runs in the nightcap with two coming off the bat of senior center fielder Brock Burton, marking the fifth multi-homer performance by a Lope this year. Burton also homered twice at Sacramento State on April 30.

Weaver had the Lopes on the board after five pitches. He homered off the left field foul pole for his third long ball of the weekend to give GCU the 1-0 edge out of the gate.

Both sides stayed quiet until the fourth inning when Burton hit his first home run of the day, a two-run shot to left-center to give the Lopes a 3-0 lead.

Tarleton nearly pulled even with runs in the seventh and eighth innings. In the seventh, the Texans stranded the tying run in scoring position. In the eighth, Tarleton stranded the tying run at third.

The Lopes broke the game open in the top of the ninth with some needed insurance. Freshman first baseman Elijah Buries, Aguilar and freshman designated hitter Tyler Wilson strung together three consecutive singles to open the inning, with Aguilar's scoring Buries. Burton hit the three-run homer to left-center to take the drama out of the game and put GCU in front 7-2.

The teams return to Cecil Ballow Baseball Complex for the series finale on Sunday at 11 a.m. (Phoenix time).