Lopes limit Lobos to 4 hits in road win

Tuesday, April 26

Albuquerque, N.M.

5 p.m.

Grand Canyon

28-14

New Mexico

16-24

Grand Canyon

New Mexico

4/26/2022 9:02:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Aguilar collects 4 extra-base hits; Lopes pitchers limit UNM to fewest home hits since 2019

By: Josh Hauser

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — In a locale known to favor offense, Grand Canyon limited New Mexico to four hits and shrugged off an early 2-0 deficit to claim a 7-2 victory at Santa Ana Star Field on Tuesday night.

The Lopes (28-14) held the Lobos (16-24) to their lowest home hit total since April 13, 2019.

"I'm proud of our relieving corps," GCU head coach Andy Stankiewicz said. "They did a great job of shutdown innings. When we score, going back out there and getting us three outs to get us back in the dugout. Pitching-wise, it's an offensive ballpark. (New Mexico) can hit. To be able to do what we did here was impressive."

GCU used five pitchers on the night with only junior lefty Eli Ankeney having amassed more than 15 innings of work entering the game.

Lopes junior right fielder Tayler Aguilar put on an offensive display with four hits, all for extra bases. After striking out in his first at bat, Aguilar responded with a home run to right in the fourth to put GCU on the board, a two-out double to give GCU the lead in the fifth, a home run to left in the seventh, and a triple off the batter's eye in straightaway center in the ninth.

"You got a homer to right, a homer to left and an RBI knock up the middle," Stankiewicz said. "That's what good hitters do. They use the whole field."

Aguilar racked up 13 total bases on the night, the most by a GCU batter since returning to the Division I level for the 2014 season. Aguilar (13) had more than double the total bases of the Lobos' team (5).

"He's getting in the batter's box and he's aggressive," Stankiewicz said. "He's getting ready for his pitch early and he's taking his shot. He's put some great at bats together. I'm impressed with the two-strike knock up the middle with two outs. He took it to two strikes but fouled some balls off and had a nice litter hard ground ball line drive up the middle to put us in front."

GCU senior starting pitcher Jason Nelson began the day with two perfect innings before running into trouble in the third. Junior right-hander Blake Reilly entered and drew a double-play ball to diffuse a bases-loaded situation and limit New Mexico to two third-inning runs. Reilly also tossed scoreless fourth and fifth innings to earn his second win of the season.

"Blake Reilly did a great job," Stankiewicz added. "We said, 'Hey man, you're going to come in and you're going to establish. You're going to get yourself a win.' Great job by him."

When the Lobos got two baserunners on in the sixth, GCU turned to lefty graduate Kyle Sandstrom, who continued his impressive end to April by retiring the only two batters he faced to strand the pair.

"It's good to start to see him come into his own a little bit," Stankiewicz said. "We're going to need him down the road. It's amazing. He just stayed the course. He hadn't really gotten many opportunities. He's just taken advantage of the opportunities he's been given here in the last two weeks. That's encouraging."

Sandstrom has tossed three consecutive scoreless outings spanning 4 2/3 innings, surrendering only two hits while striking out seven and walking none.

Senior right-hander Brodie Cooper-Vassalakis gave GCU two more scoreless frames before Ankeney finished with a scoreless ninth.

GCU junior catcher Josh Buckley made his third start of the season after returning from injury and provided great protection behind Aguilar, doubling twice and driving in a pair of runs. Buckley is hitting 6 for 10 in his first action of the season.

Lopes graduate third baseman Juan Colato ended his night with hits in his final two at bats, including his sixth home run of the season in the eighth inning.

GCU heads to Orem, Utah, to begin a three-game conference series at Utah Valley on Friday at 5 p.m. (Phoenix time).