GCU finishes off Tarleton sweep

Sunday, May 16

Stephenville, Texas

11 a.m.

Grand Canyon

34-17-1, 27-5

Tarleton

20-35, 13-23

Grand Canyon

Tarleton

5/16/2021 4:45:00 PM | Baseball

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Lopes stay in 1st-place tie with 8th consecutive win, strong bullpen effort

By: Josh Hauser

STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Grand Canyon finished off a four-game sweep of Tarleton with a 9-4 victory at Cecil Ballow Baseball Complex on Sunday.

GCU's bullpen duo of seniors Nick Hull and Keaton Glover combined to toss five hitless, scoreless innings. On the offensive side, Lopes freshman first baseman Elijah Buries had four RBIs, including a game-tying home run in the third inning and a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the fifth. Buries finished the weekend 10 for 18 with three home runs, seven runs scored and eight RBIs.

GCU (34-17-1, 25-5 WAC) entered the weekend as co-leaders in the WAC alongside California Baptist. The Lopes' sweep was matched by California Baptist's sweep of New Mexico State, setting up a key Thursday-Saturday series at GCU Ballpark to end the regular season. The winner of the weekend's four-game set between the Lopes and Lancers will be crowned regular-season champions of the WAC.

The Lopes jumped ahead with a two-run first inning, when junior Juan Colato hit an RBI double and Buries collected his first RBI on a ground out.

The Texans (20-35, 13-23 WAC) also got on the board early, scoring two runs in the first and second innings to grab a 4-2 lead.

Buries responded with his third home run of the weekend in the third to tie the score, driving in freshman third baseman Jacob Wilson after his single.

Buries was also to credit for GCU's go-ahead run. With Jacob Wilson standing on third base, Buries hit a sacrifice fly to put the Lopes in front.

The Lopes built on their 5-4 advantage by scoring in four consecutive frames. Freshman Tyler Wilson, an in-game substitute, had a productive out with a ground ball to the right side to score senior center fielder Brock Burton, who doubled to lead off the sixth.

In the seventh, Buries and Burton each singled with Burton's hit scoring Buries.

Jacob Wilson capped the day's scoring with a two-run double down the left-field line in the eighth to put the Lopes in front 9-4.

The Lopes did not allow Tarleton to score in the final seven innings. Senior starting pitcher Zach Barnes tossed the third and fourth scoreless before handing things over to the Hull-Glover bullpen duo, which shut out the Texans.

Hull was especially effective, facing the minimum in three innings. He hit a batter but also drew a double-play ball. It was Hull's second relief effort on the weekend, combining to throw five scoreless frames in the series. He has pitched 17 consecutive shuout innings over his past eight appearances, allowing only seven hits in that stretch.

GCU and California Baptist's four-game set begins on Thursday night to allow ample time for the WAC Tournament, which starts the following Wednesday at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa.