Completed Event: Baseball at Stanford on May 9, 2025 , Win , 4, to, 3
Baseball
at Stanford
W 4-3
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Saturday, February 25
Phoenix, Ariz.
2 p.m.
Grand Canyon
5-2
17
vs
16
Gonzaga
1-6
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Gonzaga
0
0
1
6
1
0
3
5
0
16
19
2
Grand Canyon
1
4
0
4
2
0
0
6
X
17
17
1
GCU mounts comebacks for 4-0 weekend
2/25/2023 11:16:00 PM | Baseball
Lopes top Gonzaga with 6-run 8th, walk off Ohio State for doubleheader sweep
Grand Canyon capped off a 4-0 weekend with a sweep of a Saturday doubleheader, mounting a pair of comebacks to beat Gonzaga 17-16 and Ohio State 7-5 at GCU Ballpark.
"The comeback, we got down," Lopes head coach Gregg Wallis said. "We've been on the field since 11 a.m. and it's 10 p.m. We just continue to fight. I'm just really really proud of all these guys."
Both of Saturday's wins came in dramatic fashion, moving the Lopes to 6-2 for their best start since 2015.
In Game 1 against Gonzaga, the Lopes went down 16-11 after surrendering eight straight runs and a five-run eighth inning. But GCU fought back with a six spot in the bottom of the eighth to win a wild game 17-16.
In the nightcap, GCU was scoreless through six innings but tallied seven runs in the final third of the game. The Lopes tied it in the seventh, re-tied it with three runs in the eighth and walked it off on a two-run shot by graduate second baseman Zack Gregory.
"This team here, unreal amount of grit," Gregory said. "First game was a marathon. This game, just had to keep battling. They had a good pitcher. That's a good team over there in that dugout. We just had to keep fighting through the whole thing. We knew we had it in us. That's what we did."
Game 1: Grand Canyon 17, Gonzaga 16
The Lopes began the day with a win in a back-and-forth marathon against Gonzaga. The teams combined for 33 runs, the most in a Lopes game since March 16, 2019, when the Lopes topped Xavier 25-18.
GCU's 11-8 lead through six was erased and then some with a string of eight straight runs by the Bulldogs. Trailing 16-11, GCU responded with a six-run eighth inning to complete the second straight comeback against Gonzaga.
"It was a wild, wild game," Wallis said. "We said when we were up 5-0, 'There's a long way to go.' The lead just kept going back and forth. We were just resilient as heck. It was a resilient last two days."
To begin the pivotal eighth, Lopes freshman first baseman Zach Yorke doubled in a run and sophomore left fielder Maxwell Andeel hit a three-run homer to pull GCU within a run.
"He threw me a fastball up and in and I went with it and ended up hitting that one out," Andeel said. "We have this thing going around the dugout this year. We never ever feel like we're out of it. We always feel like we're in it. We've just got to keep it going."
Although the Lopes had pulled within a run at 16-15 with no outs, GCU had to start a new rally from scratch against a new pitcher to complete the comeback.
After a walk and a hit batter, two consecutive strikeouts put the inning in peril. But junior shortstop Jacob Wilson singled in the tying run and the Lopes took the lead for good on a Bulldog error.
"That was a dog fight for sure," Wilson said after a 4-for-6 game with five RBIs. "To see that many runs put up by both teams in the same game is pretty rare. It was a great way to come out on top and win that game right there."
Junior pitcher Bryan Webb made quick work of the Bulldogs in the ninth, drawing a double-play ball after a leadoff walk to face the minimum. The lefty earned his first career save.
GCU's six-run, game-winning eighth took the spotlight, but the Lopes also posted crooked numbers with four runs in the second and four in the fourth.
Wilson cleared the bases with a two-out, three-run double in the second to stake the Lopes to an early 5-0 lead.
"He's never been afraid of the stage," Lopes assistant coach Jack Wilson said. "He can always step up in a crucial situation and really give a solid at bat. He can control his heartbeat and slow himself down. It's a fun thing to watch."
Gregory hit his first home run in the GCU uniform in the fifth inning, the first of two long balls on the day.
GCU got at least one hit out of every spot in the batting order as a part of its 17-hit effort, most in a game this season. Jacob Wilson was one of four Lopes with multi-hit games.
Game 2: Grand Canyon 7, Ohio State 5
The Lopes fought through an impressive six-inning shutout starting pitching outing by Buckeyes sophomore Gavin Bruni and did damage against the Ohio State bullpen to get a clean sleep of the doubleheader and the four-game weekend.
"We've got to give it to their starter first of all," Andeel said. "That guy came out, he was hitting his spots, he was shoving. He did a great job. We were just trying to get him out of the game and get to the bullpen and we hit the bullpen. That's what we do."
With Bruni out of the game after six innings and 91 pitches, the Lopes scored seven runs off of five Ohio State relievers in the final three innings.
Starting pitcher Connor Markl kept GCU in it by allowing one earned run in 5 2/3 innings while striking out seven.
The Lopes capitalized on a walk and a fielding error when junior left fielder Tyler Wilson erased six innings of Buckeyes shutout work with one swing of the bat, a double to right-center to tie the score.
Ohio State bounced back with a three-run eighth, but the Lopes countered with three of their own to tie. Andeel hit a solo homer, and junior center fielder Homer Bush Jr. doubled in a pair with two outs to tie the score.
Right-hander Carson Ohl faced the minimum in the ninth after coaxing a double-play ball. He earned his first career victory after Gregory's walk-off home run.
Tyler Wilson drew a five-pitch walk off a new Buckeyes reliever to open the ninth. Gregory fouled off the first pitch he saw on the bunt attempt before swinging away and leaving the yard.
"Coach gave me the bunt sign," Gregory recalled. "Fouled it off. He kind of gave me a wink and I think they knew we were going to try to bunt again, so Coach took the sign off. Me and Coach Jack had been working a lot on getting the head out, just trying to see a good pitch and doing just that. I kind of got lucky and did that."
GCU recorded its first walk-off victory of 2023 after last year's 41-win team did it on five occasions.
"They fight all game long," Gregory said. "They show up early. They lead. They're grinders. We're gritty in there, man. We're willing to take on anybody. I'm new and I feel like they welcomed me from Day 1. It's amazing and I love it."
The Lopes' four victories came in a 1-0 thriller on Thursday and in three games where they trailed as late as the eighth inning before coming from behind.
"Just Lope magic," Gregory said. "That's all it is. Just a little Lope magic late in the innings."
GCU will play its first true road game of the season on Wednesday at UNLV before returning home for an eight-game homestand starting on Friday.
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"The comeback, we got down," Lopes head coach Gregg Wallis said. "We've been on the field since 11 a.m. and it's 10 p.m. We just continue to fight. I'm just really really proud of all these guys."
Both of Saturday's wins came in dramatic fashion, moving the Lopes to 6-2 for their best start since 2015.
In Game 1 against Gonzaga, the Lopes went down 16-11 after surrendering eight straight runs and a five-run eighth inning. But GCU fought back with a six spot in the bottom of the eighth to win a wild game 17-16.
In the nightcap, GCU was scoreless through six innings but tallied seven runs in the final third of the game. The Lopes tied it in the seventh, re-tied it with three runs in the eighth and walked it off on a two-run shot by graduate second baseman Zack Gregory.
"This team here, unreal amount of grit," Gregory said. "First game was a marathon. This game, just had to keep battling. They had a good pitcher. That's a good team over there in that dugout. We just had to keep fighting through the whole thing. We knew we had it in us. That's what we did."
Game 1: Grand Canyon 17, Gonzaga 16
The Lopes began the day with a win in a back-and-forth marathon against Gonzaga. The teams combined for 33 runs, the most in a Lopes game since March 16, 2019, when the Lopes topped Xavier 25-18.
GCU's 11-8 lead through six was erased and then some with a string of eight straight runs by the Bulldogs. Trailing 16-11, GCU responded with a six-run eighth inning to complete the second straight comeback against Gonzaga.
"It was a wild, wild game," Wallis said. "We said when we were up 5-0, 'There's a long way to go.' The lead just kept going back and forth. We were just resilient as heck. It was a resilient last two days."
To begin the pivotal eighth, Lopes freshman first baseman Zach Yorke doubled in a run and sophomore left fielder Maxwell Andeel hit a three-run homer to pull GCU within a run."He threw me a fastball up and in and I went with it and ended up hitting that one out," Andeel said. "We have this thing going around the dugout this year. We never ever feel like we're out of it. We always feel like we're in it. We've just got to keep it going."
Although the Lopes had pulled within a run at 16-15 with no outs, GCU had to start a new rally from scratch against a new pitcher to complete the comeback.
After a walk and a hit batter, two consecutive strikeouts put the inning in peril. But junior shortstop Jacob Wilson singled in the tying run and the Lopes took the lead for good on a Bulldog error.
"That was a dog fight for sure," Wilson said after a 4-for-6 game with five RBIs. "To see that many runs put up by both teams in the same game is pretty rare. It was a great way to come out on top and win that game right there."
Junior pitcher Bryan Webb made quick work of the Bulldogs in the ninth, drawing a double-play ball after a leadoff walk to face the minimum. The lefty earned his first career save.
GCU's six-run, game-winning eighth took the spotlight, but the Lopes also posted crooked numbers with four runs in the second and four in the fourth.
Wilson cleared the bases with a two-out, three-run double in the second to stake the Lopes to an early 5-0 lead.
"He's never been afraid of the stage," Lopes assistant coach Jack Wilson said. "He can always step up in a crucial situation and really give a solid at bat. He can control his heartbeat and slow himself down. It's a fun thing to watch."
Gregory hit his first home run in the GCU uniform in the fifth inning, the first of two long balls on the day.
GCU got at least one hit out of every spot in the batting order as a part of its 17-hit effort, most in a game this season. Jacob Wilson was one of four Lopes with multi-hit games.
Game 2: Grand Canyon 7, Ohio State 5
The Lopes fought through an impressive six-inning shutout starting pitching outing by Buckeyes sophomore Gavin Bruni and did damage against the Ohio State bullpen to get a clean sleep of the doubleheader and the four-game weekend.
"We've got to give it to their starter first of all," Andeel said. "That guy came out, he was hitting his spots, he was shoving. He did a great job. We were just trying to get him out of the game and get to the bullpen and we hit the bullpen. That's what we do."
With Bruni out of the game after six innings and 91 pitches, the Lopes scored seven runs off of five Ohio State relievers in the final three innings.
Starting pitcher Connor Markl kept GCU in it by allowing one earned run in 5 2/3 innings while striking out seven.The Lopes capitalized on a walk and a fielding error when junior left fielder Tyler Wilson erased six innings of Buckeyes shutout work with one swing of the bat, a double to right-center to tie the score.
Ohio State bounced back with a three-run eighth, but the Lopes countered with three of their own to tie. Andeel hit a solo homer, and junior center fielder Homer Bush Jr. doubled in a pair with two outs to tie the score.
Right-hander Carson Ohl faced the minimum in the ninth after coaxing a double-play ball. He earned his first career victory after Gregory's walk-off home run.
Tyler Wilson drew a five-pitch walk off a new Buckeyes reliever to open the ninth. Gregory fouled off the first pitch he saw on the bunt attempt before swinging away and leaving the yard.
"Coach gave me the bunt sign," Gregory recalled. "Fouled it off. He kind of gave me a wink and I think they knew we were going to try to bunt again, so Coach took the sign off. Me and Coach Jack had been working a lot on getting the head out, just trying to see a good pitch and doing just that. I kind of got lucky and did that."
GCU recorded its first walk-off victory of 2023 after last year's 41-win team did it on five occasions."They fight all game long," Gregory said. "They show up early. They lead. They're grinders. We're gritty in there, man. We're willing to take on anybody. I'm new and I feel like they welcomed me from Day 1. It's amazing and I love it."
The Lopes' four victories came in a 1-0 thriller on Thursday and in three games where they trailed as late as the eighth inning before coming from behind.
"Just Lope magic," Gregory said. "That's all it is. Just a little Lope magic late in the innings."
GCU will play its first true road game of the season on Wednesday at UNLV before returning home for an eight-game homestand starting on Friday.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Heaton, Tyson (1-0)
L: MUELLER, MATTHEW (0-1)
S: Webb, Bryan (1)
Batting:
2B: COBALLES, CONNOR 1 ; KALMER, BRIAN 2
HR: MCGEE, CADE 1 ; KALMER, BRIAN 1
RBI: APODACA, ENZO 4 ; MCGEE, CADE 3 ; KALMER, BRIAN 5 ; EISENSTAT, TOMMY 2 ; SAMPERI, EZRA 1
SH: GRIGGS, TYLER 1
Base Running:
RUNS: COBALLES, CONNOR 2 ; APODACA, ENZO 4 ; MCGEE, CADE 1 ; KALMER, BRIAN 2 ; EISENSTAT, TOMMY 1 ; SAMPERI, EZRA 2 ; JOHNSON, DYLAN 2 ; GRIGGS, TYLER 2
SB: APODACA, ENZO 1
CS: STEM, SAM 1
HBP: APODACA, ENZO 1 ; SAMPERI, EZRA 1 ; JOHNSON, DYLAN 1 ; GRIGGS, TYLER 1
Batting:
2B: Wilson, Jacob 2 ; Yorke, Zach 1
HR: Gregory, Zack 1 ; Andeel, Maxwell 1
RBI: Gregory, Zack 3 ; Wilson, Jacob 5 ; Verdusco, Cade 1 ; Wilson, Tyler 1 ; Yorke, Zach 2 ; Andeel, Maxwell 3
SF: Wilson, Tyler 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Bush Jr., Homer 2 ; Gregory, Zack 4 ; Wilson, Jacob 1 ; Verdusco, Cade 2 ; Wilson, Tyler 1 ; Yorke, Zach 2 ; Andeel, Maxwell 2 ; Buckley, Josh 1 ; Arias, Nick 1 ; Paton, Eli 1
HBP: Gregory, Zack 1 ; Paton, Eli 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
6
R
1
H
4
RBI
5
AB
5
R
4
H
3
RBI
3
AB
4
R
2
H
3
RBI
3
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
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