Lopes strike out 16 Lancers, win WAC opener

Friday, March 4

Riverside, Calif.

7 p.m. MST

Grand Canyon

California Baptist

Photo by: Zach Campbell

3/4/2022 10:02:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

GCU hands California Baptist its 1st loss after Aguilar's go-ahead home run in 8th

By: Josh Hauser

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — The Grand Canyon baseball team opened WAC play with a thrilling 3-1 victory at California Baptist on Friday night, handing he Lancers their first loss of the season.

GCU's pitching trio of senior Nick Hull, senior Brodie Cooper-Vassalakis, junior Eli Ankeney and junior Vince Reilly did not allow an earned run and struck out 16 Lancers (7-1, 0-1 WAC). It was the most strikeouts in a nine-inning game by GCU (5-4, 1-0 WAC) since April 13, 2018, at UT Rio Grande Valley.

"That was a great Friday night matchup," Lopes head coach Andy Stankiewicz said. "Two real good starters going head to head and our guy Nick Hull didn't disappoint. Also great job by Vassalakis, Ankeney and Reilly to hold a good offense in check. Capped off by a big two-run home run for Tayler Aguilar after we got doubled off on a line drive. It was a great team effort tonight."

While the pitching staff was keeping CBU in check, junior right fielder Tayler Aguilar came up clutch in a back-and-forth eighth inning. With two outs, Aguilar hit his second home run of the season to break a 1-1 stalemate. Sophomore first baseman Elijah Buries was hit by a pitch earlier in the frame and came around to score on Aguilar's long ball.

A two-out, two-run 💣 for @taybam34! #LopesUp pic.twitter.com/uokHtlCbQv
— GCU Baseball (@GCU_Baseball) March 5, 2022

GCU's bullpen took it from there, recording six strikeouts in the final two frames. Ankeney struck out five batters in his two innings of work, earning his first collegiate win. Reilly picked up his second save of the season after striking out the side in the ninth.

The bullpen's performance was a continuation of a stellar outing from Hull. The right-hander tossed 5 1/3 innings with eight strikeouts, one shy of his career high. Hull surrendered just one unearned run on five hits and one walk.

The Lopes picked up their first run of conference play in the second inning. Aguilar led the inning off with a triple down the right field line and scored on an infield single by senior third baseman Juan Colato.

GCU's 1-0 lead held until the bottom of the fifth, when the Lancers forced a tie. Two of CBU's six hits came in a three-batter span, the latter being an RBI single through the hole at shortstop.

The game-defining eighth inning had its peaks and valleys. Lopes sophomore center fielder Homer Bush Jr. reached on an error before Buries was hit by a pitch. What would have been a well-executed slash bunt by sophomore shortstop Jacob Wilson turned into trouble for GCU, as Wilson's line drive was gloved by CBU's third baseman, who turned a double play. Aguilar made sure the Lopes' promising inning did not go amiss, as his eighth career home run gave GCU a late go-ahead homer for the second straight game.

GCU did not allow an earned run for the first time this season after doing it nine times last season. Both teams stranded nine runners on the basepaths.

After winning the series opener of the three-game set between last year's regular-season co-conference champions, the Lopes climbed over the .500 mark for the first time amid this season's difficult schedule.

The Lopes and Lancers play the second of three games on Saturday at 6 p.m. (Phoenix time).