Lopes drop finale amid late-game drama

Sunday, May 2

Sacramento, Calif.

1 p.m.

Grand Canyon

26-16-1, 0

Sacramento State

26-16, 0

Grand Canyon

Sacramento State

5/2/2021 5:25:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

GCU takes 9th-inning lead before surrendering walk-off hit

By: Josh Hauser

SACRAMENTO — Grand Canyon narrowly missed out on a four-game sweep of Sacramento State, taking and losing a ninth-inning lead in Sunday's series finale. The Hornets rallied late by scoring two runs in the ninth to win 3-2 and salvage one of the series' four games at John Smith Field.

GCU (26-16-1, 19-5 WAC) outscored Sacramento State (26-16, 17-11 WAC) 35-9 over the course of the series. It was the most runs allowed in a series by the Hornets since giving up 36 runs to New Mexico State in a four-game series in 2012.

The Lopes sit two games back of California Baptist for the conference's lead and will watch with intrigue as the Lancers and Hornets play four games in Riverside, California, next weekend.

Lopes senior catcher David Avitia came through with what would have been the game-winning hit, a go-ahead single in the top of the ninth. The hard grounder up the middle caromed off the bag at second base and easily scored freshman right fielder Cade Verdusco from third, capping off a string of three consecutive singles to open the inning.

GCU, which had been held scoreless since the second, looked poised to do further damage with runners on the corners and no outs. But an infield pop-up and a double play prevented the Lopes from adding key insurance that they would later need.

Senior closer Frankie Scalzo was asked to record the final seven outs for the Lopes and retired five of the first six he faced. But Sac State drew a pair of one-out walks in the ninth. They proved to be the tying and winning runs after a double to right field by junior first baseman Ryan Walstad.

The Lopes and Hornets each plated a run in the first third of the game before dominant pitching took over. GCU senior center fielder Brock Burton capped off an 11-RBI weekend with a two-out double to score Verdusco and grant the Lopes an early 1-0 lead. Sac State countered in the bottom of the third with a two-out single by Walstad to tie the score.

The 1-1 stalemate remained through the ninth inning, when the three combined runs were more than the first eight innings' scoring.

In its attempt to regain the lead, GCU left runners on base in the fifth, seventh, eighth and ninth innings. The teams combined to strand 19 on the basepaths.

The pitching matchup lived up to its billing as each team sent its starter with the lowest ERA to the mound. Lopes freshman Carter Young and Hornets junior Scott Randall each allowed only one run. Young worked 4 2/3 innings for the Lopes and dropped his ERA to 1.99.

Burton checked in with another three-hit game to finish the series 10 for 14 (.714) with 11 RBIs and five runs scored.

GCU had its 10-game conference win streak snapped and will look to get back in the win column beginning on Friday, when Dixie State visits Phoenix for a four-game series. The Lopes will host a WAC game for the first time in 26 days. But first, GCU wraps up its nonconference slate with a quick trip to Tucson on Tuesday. The Lopes look to complete a two-game sweep of the Wildcats after defeating Arizona at GCU Ballpark on April 13.