Completed Event: Baseball at Stanford on May 9, 2025 , Win , 4, to, 3
Baseball
at Stanford
W 4-3
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Saturday, March 19
Phoenix, Ariz.
6 p.m.
Grand Canyon
12-8, 5-0
8
vs
0
Utah Valley
6-12, 2-6
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Utah Valley
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
4
4
Grand Canyon
2
0
0
0
0
1
0
5
X
8
16
2
Avitia fans 11 as Lopes cruise to series win
3/19/2022 8:59:00 PM | Baseball
Avitia sets new career high with 11 strikeouts; Jacob Wilson sets new career best with 5 hits
Grand Canyon had both sides of the ball working on Saturday night to clinch a series victory with an 8-0 shutout of Utah Valley at GCU Ballpark.
On the mound, Lopes freshman Daniel Avitia had a career-high 11 strikeouts. His 6 2/3 innings paved the way for GCU (12-8, 5-0 WAC) to earn its first shutout victory of the season. The right-hander only surrendered three hits and did not allow a run as a part of his 99-pitch outing.
"I felt great, couldn't have felt better," Avitia said. "Just really the game plan was to just attack them. Make them earn it. I've always had this confidence. I've always known I was good. I just needed to go out there and show them what I had. I knew I would eventually get that first start and I knew that (pitching coach Jon) Wente would want to keep me in that weekend slot."
From the batter's box, GCU racked up 16 hits including a career-high five from sophomore shortstop Jacob Wilson. Wilson added to an impressive week where he has hit 14 for 18 (.778) in GCU's four games.
"It's been a good week," Wilson said. "The team's battling and getting wins and that's all I really care about right now. So anything I can do to help the team win."
Sophomore catcher Tyler Wilson had three hits including his second home run of the season.
For the 14th time in 20 games this season, the Lopes scored in the first inning. GCU's 2-0 lead held through four scoreless frames before the Lopes tacked on one run in the sixth and five in the eighth.
"Our team is going out there each and every day," Wilson said. "I'm proud of our offense right now and our pitchers are doing a great job."
Elijah Buries, Jacob Wilson and Tayler Aguilar strung together consecutive singles in the first inning, with Aguilar's plating a run. Senior third baseman Juan Colato added a second run with a sacrifice fly.
GCU had opportunities to add to the lead in the middle innings with six hits in the second through fifth innings, but Utah Valley (6-12, 2-6 WAC) held the Lopes off the scoreboard.
Tyler Wilson led off the sixth with a single and later scored on a Jacob Wilson single to run the score to 3-0.
The Lopes capped off the night with their best offensive inning in a five-run eighth. After Tyler Wilson's leadoff homer, senior second baseman Jonny Weaver doubled and scored when Buries hit into a fielder's choice. Jacob Wilson and Aguilar had back-to-back run-scoring hits, while junior pinch-hitter Ronnie Belton III drove in the final run.
GCU freshman R.J. Elmore tossed 2 1/3 innings of one-hit baseball to close out the shutout.
The teams will play the series finale on Sunday at 12 p.m.
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On the mound, Lopes freshman Daniel Avitia had a career-high 11 strikeouts. His 6 2/3 innings paved the way for GCU (12-8, 5-0 WAC) to earn its first shutout victory of the season. The right-hander only surrendered three hits and did not allow a run as a part of his 99-pitch outing.
"I felt great, couldn't have felt better," Avitia said. "Just really the game plan was to just attack them. Make them earn it. I've always had this confidence. I've always known I was good. I just needed to go out there and show them what I had. I knew I would eventually get that first start and I knew that (pitching coach Jon) Wente would want to keep me in that weekend slot."
From the batter's box, GCU racked up 16 hits including a career-high five from sophomore shortstop Jacob Wilson. Wilson added to an impressive week where he has hit 14 for 18 (.778) in GCU's four games.
"It's been a good week," Wilson said. "The team's battling and getting wins and that's all I really care about right now. So anything I can do to help the team win."
Sophomore catcher Tyler Wilson had three hits including his second home run of the season.
For the 14th time in 20 games this season, the Lopes scored in the first inning. GCU's 2-0 lead held through four scoreless frames before the Lopes tacked on one run in the sixth and five in the eighth.
"Our team is going out there each and every day," Wilson said. "I'm proud of our offense right now and our pitchers are doing a great job."
Elijah Buries, Jacob Wilson and Tayler Aguilar strung together consecutive singles in the first inning, with Aguilar's plating a run. Senior third baseman Juan Colato added a second run with a sacrifice fly.
GCU had opportunities to add to the lead in the middle innings with six hits in the second through fifth innings, but Utah Valley (6-12, 2-6 WAC) held the Lopes off the scoreboard.
Tyler Wilson led off the sixth with a single and later scored on a Jacob Wilson single to run the score to 3-0.
The Lopes capped off the night with their best offensive inning in a five-run eighth. After Tyler Wilson's leadoff homer, senior second baseman Jonny Weaver doubled and scored when Buries hit into a fielder's choice. Jacob Wilson and Aguilar had back-to-back run-scoring hits, while junior pinch-hitter Ronnie Belton III drove in the final run.
GCU freshman R.J. Elmore tossed 2 1/3 innings of one-hit baseball to close out the shutout.
The teams will play the series finale on Sunday at 12 p.m.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Avitia, Daniel (2-2)
L: Rust, Coop (1-2)
Batting:
2B: Vossen, Paul 1
Base Running:
HBP: Jordan, Cole 1
Batting:
2B: Aguilar, Tayler 1 ; Weaver, Jonny 1
3B: Wilson, Tyler 1
HR: Wilson, Tyler 1
RBI: Buries, Elijah 1 ; Wilson, Jacob 2 ; Aguilar, Tayler 2 ; Colato, Juan 1 ; Belton III, Ronnie 1 ; Wilson, Tyler 1
SH: Weaver, Jonny 1
SF: Colato, Juan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Buries, Elijah 2 ; Wilson, Jacob 2 ; Aguilar, Tayler 1 ; Wilson, Tyler 2 ; Weaver, Jonny 1
CS: Bush Jr., Homer 1
HBP: Colato, Juan 1 ; Sloniger, Dalton 2
Game Leaders
AB
5
R
2
H
5
RBI
2
AB
4
R
2
H
3
RBI
1
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
UTIL
/ Baseball
RHP
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