Late scoring turns in Toreros' favor

Sunday, March 13

Phoenix, Ariz.

12 p.m.

Grand Canyon

9-7

San Diego

8-6

San Diego

Grand Canyon

Photo by: Zach Campbell

3/13/2022 4:15:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Lopes' 2-0 lead holds for 5 innings; San Diego scores 7 in final 4 innings

By: Josh Hauser

A 2-0 Grand Canyon lead held through five innings of a Sunday afternoon rubber match at Brazell Field at GCU Ballpark, but San Diego scored seven runs in the final four innings to win the game 7-5 and the series 2-1.

The Lopes (9-7) had the tying run at the plate in the ninth but could not regain the lead over San Diego (8-6).

GCU jumped on the scoreboard early with two runs in the first. After sophomore center fielder Homer Bush Jr. drew a leadoff walk, sophomore shortstop Jacob Wilson and senior third baseman Juan Colato each recorded run-scoring hits to put the Lopes in front.

Both offenses went silent for four innings. The teams combined to send only one over the minimum to the plate in the second through fifth frames.

On the Lopes side, freshman right-hander Daniel Avitia was to credit for holding the Toreros down. Making his first collegiate start, Avitia threw 5 2/3 innings. He allowed just four hits and one sixth-inning run while striking out four. He was in line for the victory before San Diego's comeback.

San Diego broke up the pitching domination in the top of the sixth with a two-out rally. Toreros' batters reached consecutively on a hit by pitch, a single and a double to yield a run and narrow their deficit to 2-1.

GCU quickly restored its two-run lead with a run in the bottom of the sixth. Bush led off with a single and scored on a two-out single by Colato.

San Diego's offense kept churning. The Toreros tied the game with two runs in the seventh and pushed across three more in the eighth to take a 6-3 lead. In both innings, San Diego's first two batters reached. In the eighth, it was back-to-back solo shots that pushed the Toreros in front.

GCU kept fighting with a run in the eighth and another in the ninth. Colato had his third RBI hit of the afternoon in the eighth, and sophomore first baseman Elijah Buries knocked in a run with a single in the ninth. GCU had two cracks at it with the tying run on base in the ninth, but a deep fly ball to left-center and a strikeout ended the threat.

A challenging nonconference slate continues, as the Lopes head to Oregon State for a two-game midweek series. The first of the two games gets underway at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday.