Completed Event: Baseball at Stanford on May 9, 2025 , Win , 4, to, 3
Baseball
at Stanford
W 4-3
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Friday, April 15
Phoenix, Ariz.
6 p.m.
Grand Canyon
25-11, 15-2
4
vs
3
California Baptist
22-11, 8-6
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
California Baptist
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
3
4
1
Grand Canyon
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
2
X
4
11
1
GCU wins 8th in a row in thriller
4/15/2022 8:44:00 PM | Baseball
Lopes back Avitia's strong start with 8th-inning rally
For the third straight game, Grand Canyon required late-game heroics to pull out a victory. The Lopes did it again on Friday night at GCU Ballpark, erasing an eighth-inning deficit to defeat California Baptist for their eighth consecutive win.
"We have a lot of heart," Lopes freshman starting pitcher Daniel Avitia said. "We don't give up no matter what. How many runs they get, we come back. We always fight back. I knew I could trust my team, I knew we were going to come back either way."
California Baptist (22-11, 8-6 WAC) pulled in front 3-2 with a run-scoring single in the top of the eighth inning. But the Lopes (25-11, 15-2 WAC) came roaring back with a pair of runs in the home half of the eighth.
GCU sophomore third baseman Dustin Crenshaw led off the eighth with a single. Senior Jonny Weaver – a mid-game defensive replacement — doubled down the left field line on a two-strike pitch to score Crenshaw and tie the game at 3-3. With two outs, sophomore first baseman Tyler Wilson also drilled a ball down the left field line for another double to plate Weaver with the go-ahead run.
Wilson's game-deciding hit came after the Lancers elected to walk sophomore shortstop Jacob Wilson intentionally to get to Tyler Wilson.
"I'm not going to lie, I kind of take it personal," Tyler Wilson said. "They're thinking I'll put him on so they can just get me out. It is what it is. I just told myself, 'Be patient, they're going to work around me.' I was able to get a good pitch to hit and what happened happened."
The Lopes outhit the Lancers 11-4, but the game remained tight because GCU left 12 runners on base and hit 3 for 14 with runners in scoring position.
Although GCU could not break through in the early innings, Avitia put together another impressive outing. After an inauspicious start with CBU's David Martin homering in the first at bat, Avitia didn't flinch. He finishedwith a career-best 7 1/3 innings of work and struck out double-digit batters for the second consecutive outing.
"I don't think anything ever bothers him," GCU pitching coach Jon Wente said. "That's a great trait as a pitcher. He's got a short memory. He moves onto the next pitch. I think he was more mad that he didn't execute the pitch more than the guy getting a great swing and hitting it over the fence."
Avitia retired 12 in a row after the leadoff homer.
"Just keep attacking them," Avitia said. "I know I had good stuff that I trusted. I knew they were ready to hit. I just had to mix some stuff up and I know I'll be good. They get a hit, just get the next guy. Keep attacking them."
GCU matched CBU's first-inning home run with a run of its own. Senior designated hitter Juan Colato, the Thursday night hero with walk-off home run, tripled and came into score on a two-out single by Tyler Wilson — the first of his three RBIs on the night.
The Lopes took a 2-1 lead with a run in the third after Colato and Jacob Wilson singled and Colato scored on a fielder's choice by Tyler Wilson.
CBU scored an unearned run in the fifth to tie and took the brief 3-2 lead in the eighth before the Lopes stormed back.
"It's just one of those games where you know maybe one swing could be the difference," Wente said. "But (Avitia) just kept throwing up zeros and I think at the end, on a short rest, we probably kept him out there too long. He gutted it out, and he just keeps giving us a chance to win every time out."
Lopes senior right-hander Brodie Cooper-Vassalakis recorded the final two outs of the eighth and was rewarded with his second victory of the season.
GCU junior closer Vince Reilly tossed a perfect ninth to net his 10th save of the season and extend GCU's longest winning streak of the year.
In the WAC West Division race, the Lopes extended their lead to 5 1/2 games over California Baptist.
The Lopes and Lancers close out the three-game set with a noon finale on Saturday at GCU Ballpark.
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"We have a lot of heart," Lopes freshman starting pitcher Daniel Avitia said. "We don't give up no matter what. How many runs they get, we come back. We always fight back. I knew I could trust my team, I knew we were going to come back either way."
California Baptist (22-11, 8-6 WAC) pulled in front 3-2 with a run-scoring single in the top of the eighth inning. But the Lopes (25-11, 15-2 WAC) came roaring back with a pair of runs in the home half of the eighth.
GCU sophomore third baseman Dustin Crenshaw led off the eighth with a single. Senior Jonny Weaver – a mid-game defensive replacement — doubled down the left field line on a two-strike pitch to score Crenshaw and tie the game at 3-3. With two outs, sophomore first baseman Tyler Wilson also drilled a ball down the left field line for another double to plate Weaver with the go-ahead run.
Wilson's game-deciding hit came after the Lancers elected to walk sophomore shortstop Jacob Wilson intentionally to get to Tyler Wilson.
"I'm not going to lie, I kind of take it personal," Tyler Wilson said. "They're thinking I'll put him on so they can just get me out. It is what it is. I just told myself, 'Be patient, they're going to work around me.' I was able to get a good pitch to hit and what happened happened."
The Lopes outhit the Lancers 11-4, but the game remained tight because GCU left 12 runners on base and hit 3 for 14 with runners in scoring position.
Although GCU could not break through in the early innings, Avitia put together another impressive outing. After an inauspicious start with CBU's David Martin homering in the first at bat, Avitia didn't flinch. He finishedwith a career-best 7 1/3 innings of work and struck out double-digit batters for the second consecutive outing.
"I don't think anything ever bothers him," GCU pitching coach Jon Wente said. "That's a great trait as a pitcher. He's got a short memory. He moves onto the next pitch. I think he was more mad that he didn't execute the pitch more than the guy getting a great swing and hitting it over the fence."
Avitia retired 12 in a row after the leadoff homer.
"Just keep attacking them," Avitia said. "I know I had good stuff that I trusted. I knew they were ready to hit. I just had to mix some stuff up and I know I'll be good. They get a hit, just get the next guy. Keep attacking them."
GCU matched CBU's first-inning home run with a run of its own. Senior designated hitter Juan Colato, the Thursday night hero with walk-off home run, tripled and came into score on a two-out single by Tyler Wilson — the first of his three RBIs on the night.
The Lopes took a 2-1 lead with a run in the third after Colato and Jacob Wilson singled and Colato scored on a fielder's choice by Tyler Wilson.
CBU scored an unearned run in the fifth to tie and took the brief 3-2 lead in the eighth before the Lopes stormed back.
"It's just one of those games where you know maybe one swing could be the difference," Wente said. "But (Avitia) just kept throwing up zeros and I think at the end, on a short rest, we probably kept him out there too long. He gutted it out, and he just keeps giving us a chance to win every time out."
Lopes senior right-hander Brodie Cooper-Vassalakis recorded the final two outs of the eighth and was rewarded with his second victory of the season.
GCU junior closer Vince Reilly tossed a perfect ninth to net his 10th save of the season and extend GCU's longest winning streak of the year.
In the WAC West Division race, the Lopes extended their lead to 5 1/2 games over California Baptist.
The Lopes and Lancers close out the three-game set with a noon finale on Saturday at GCU Ballpark.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Cooper-Vassalakis, Brodie (2-0)
L: Jared Villalobos (3-2)
S: Reilly, Vince (10)
Batting:
2B: Harrison Spohn 1
HR: David Martin 1
RBI: David Martin 2 ; Mitchel Simon 1
SF: Mitchel Simon 1
Base Running:
RUNS: David Martin 1 ; Michael Carpentier 1 ; Garrett Ostrander 1
CS: Michael Carpentier 1
Batting:
2B: Weaver, Jonny 1 ; Wilson, Tyler 1 ; Crenshaw, Dustin 1
3B: Colato, Juan 1
RBI: Weaver, Jonny 1 ; Wilson, Tyler 3
SH: Snedeker, Sy 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Weaver, Jonny 1 ; Colato, Juan 2 ; Crenshaw, Dustin 1
HBP: Snedeker, Sy 1
Game Leaders
AB
5
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
3
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
RHP
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RHP
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RHP
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