Record turnout sees narrow opening-night loss

Friday, February 18

Phoenix, Ariz.

6 p.m.

Grand Canyon

0-1

Nevada

1-0

Nevada

Grand Canyon

2/18/2022 11:17:00 PM | Baseball, Paul Coro

Box Score Photo Gallery

Hull, Avitia combine for 13 strikeouts in 4-3 defeat to Nevada

By: Paul Coro

With a first-pitch temperature in the 70s and a record crowd of 5,261 fans, the perfect opening script was playing out for Grand Canyon baseball opening night.

The Lopes led most of the game but left the happy ending for another day after fellow 2021 NCAA tournament qualifier and Mountain West favorite Nevada spoiled Friday night with a 4-3 win.

GCU delivered on much of what it envisions for the season with its pitchers' 13-strikeout game, matching last year's season high, and a lineup that reached base 14 times. But the Lopes' only error led to two runs and they stranded six runners in scoring position.

"It all lined up with what we were looking for," Lopes head coach Andy Stankiewicz said on his 11th GCU opening night. "It just didn't quite end the way we were looking for."

In converting to a starting role, graduate pitcher Nick Hull did what GCU opening-night starters have been doing since 2016. He delivered a high-quality start, allowing one run on three hits over five innings with eight strikeouts. GCU starting pitchers have posted a 0.45 ERA on opening day over the past seven years, with Kade Mechals and Jake Wong accounting for four of those.

Nevada, which hit .314 last season, opened the game with consecutive singles before Hull escaped with senior second baseman Jonny Weaver snagging a liner and doubling up a Wolf Pack runner at second base. He did not allow another hit until a leadoff home run in the fourth inning, which he followed with six consecutive strikeouts.

"Nick did just exactly what we hoped he would do," Stankiewicz said. "He competed and got us out of the gate well and did a great job. That's what we believe he'll do because of the experience factor. He's been around the block and understands the ropes."

David Avitia

Freshman Daniel Avitia, a 6-foot-3 right-hander, went the rest of the way with one earned run allowed over four innings. The 6-foot-3 right-hander threw with pop and confidence as a large contingent of his neighborhood family watched. Avitia grew up in the GCU area and attended Alhambra High School down the street before signing with GCU, where his brother, David, caught four years before becoming a student assistant this year.

"It was an amazing experience," Avitia said. "When I went to the mound the first time, I got the jitters a little bit. Once I got that first out, I started cruising. My mindset was just to shove through these guys.

"I don't think I've ever pitched in front of that many people. It's definitely an experience I'll never forget."

Nevada pulled ahead 3-2 in the seventh inning on a two-out error and Avitia gave up a pair of two-out hits that made the lead 4-2 in the eighth.

"He got right back on it," Stankiewicz said. "I never saw any doubt or lack of confidence. He went back in there and went back to work and did a good job."

Avitia's two-seam fastball, coupled with a change-up, overwhelmed Nevada for a perfect ninth after GCU had cut the margin to 4-3.

"That was all adrenaline," Avitia said. "I need to be big for my team."

GCU's top three hitters in the order each delivered two hits. Senior third baseman Juan Colato, sophomore first baseman Elijah Buries and sophomore center fielder Cade Verdusco went 6 for 13 combined.

Buries and Verdusco hammered back-to-back doubles for a 1-0 GCU lead in the first and Colato knocked a two-out RBI single to center, scoring sophomore catcher Tyler Wilson for a 2-0 Lopes lead in the second.

After four unanswered Nevada runs over five scoreless GCU innings, the Lopes rallied in the eighth inning with another Wilson scoring again when senior second baseman Jonny Weaver singled on an 0-2 pitch. A double-play ball squelched that rally, leaving Nevada's lead at 4-3 with the Lopes' ninth also ending on a double play after Buries had battled off three two-strike foul balls to single.

"I feel good about tonight," Stankiewicz said. "I just don't feel good about the loss, but I feel we played good, just not quite good enough.

"We've got a chance to be good. We played well, just not well enough. That's baseball. It's a game of opportunities. When you miss them or don't take advantage of them, it can come back and get you. That's what happened."

The record crowd of 5,261 fans surpassed the previous record, set against Wichita State in 2019, by 699.

"That's awesome," Stankiewicz said. "It's a testament to the university and the students here. They get excited about supporting all of our teams. I'm just blessed. What a great crowd on a Friday night. I'm sure Reno is going, 'Wow, this is a pretty cool environment.' It's what we have designed – great fan support, great student support, great administrative support. It means the world to us."