GCU takes road series from Sac State

Saturday, March 18

Sacramento, Calif.

2 p.m.

Grand Canyon

13-5, 4-1

Sacramento State

10-8, 1-1

Grand Canyon

Sacramento State

3/18/2023 8:59:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Lopes split dramatic Saturday doubleheader to win 1st road series

By: Josh Hauser

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Grand Canyon took its first road series of the season, splitting a doubleheader at Sacramento State through a pair of games filled with late theatrics on Saturday at John Smith Field.

In Game 1, the Lopes (14-5) survived a six-run first inning from Sac State (10-9) to storm back and tie the game before allowing a five-run eighth inning to set up a series finale rubber match.

GCU clinched the series with a win in the second game of the doubleheader, building a 7-3 lead that was comfortable enough to absorb a ninth-inning, three-run home run.

The Lopes have a pair of conference series victories to their credit and return to Arizona for five games beginning with Arizona State on the road on Tuesday.

Game 1

Lopes junior center fielder Homer Bush Jr. had a 5-for-5 day including his second home run of the season.

"He's just starting to take professional at bats," Wallis said. "It's fun to watch. His progression is really fun to watch. He's doing so great. He's such a great person. It's easy to root for him and wishing him continued success because it's special to watch right now."

The Lopes scored a pair in the first before surrendering six runs in the home half of the first. GCU stormed back with a five-run fourth inning to build a 7-6 lead before Sac State's second grand slam of the game fueled a five-run eighth inning to pull away late.

"We battled back," Wallis said. "We got down four runs with our ace on the mound, and we were still able to battle back and pull it close. They pulled away in the eighth."

In the fourth, Bush hit a three-run home run that erased what was left of the Hornets' early lead, knotting the score at 6-6.

"I feel like the further you get into the season, the more comfortable you get and things just click," Bush said. "I knew that I was hitting the ball hard and it was kind of low for a while. I was getting hits but a lot of singles. And then I started hitting the ball in the air. And now I'm hitting the ball in the air hard. Everything's just kind of all meshing at once."

Bush has logged hits in 13 of his last 15 games. Saturday, he posted GCU's first 5-for-5 game since Tyler Wilson did the same at Utah Tech last April. It was Bush's second career five-hit game after accomplishing the feat at California Baptist on March 6, 2022.

After the Lopes surrendered the lead back in the fifth inning, Lopes junior shortstop Jacob Wilson re-tied the game on a sacrifice fly in the sixth.

Tied at 8-8, GCU threatened to take a late lead after a Bush double, but the Hornets turned to Preseason All-WAC reliever Jack Zalasky who ended the threat in the eighth and retired GCU in order in the ninth.

Game 2

GCU built leads of 5-0 and 7-3 to take control of the second game of the day and third game of the series. Sac State made things interesting with a three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth, but freshman left hander Grant Richardson closed things out and earned his first career save after tossing the final three innings.

"To come back and get the win in the second game, it wasn't easy," Wallis said. "It was a hard-fought series like it always is when we come out here. But we'll take the series win."

Lopes junior starting pitcher Connor Markl tossed 5 1/3 innings and worked around nine hits, allowing three runs and picking up his second win of the season.

"It was a tough first game today but just wanted to win the series for the team and do everything I could to help them win," Markl said. "I gave up some hits but a lot of it was just a lot of weak contact and minimizing the extra-base hits, minimizing the longer innings was my intent today."

The bulk of GCU's damage came in a four-run third inning. Junior second baseman Dustin Crenshaw drove in a run on a single up the middle, freshman first baseman Zach Yorke scored another on a productive ground out and Tyler Wilson hit his first home run of the season.

Sac State gradually climbed back, scoring three unanswered to cut the lead to 5-3 in the sixth.

But the Lopes added important insurance in the seventh. After the Hornets intentionally walked Jacob Wilson, Yorke protected Wilson's spot in the lineup by coming through with a run-scoring single. Sophomore right fielder Maxwell Andeel doubled in GCU's second run of the frame to put GCU in front 7-3.

Trying to retire Sac State in the ninth proved difficult. Richardson struck out a pair but a dropped third strike extended the inning before a three-run home run narrowed the breathing room to 7-6. Richardson drew a long fly ball to the warning track for the second out, and the final Sac State batter attempted a curious bunt that was lazily picked up by Richardson and thrown over to first to end the game.

The Lopes won their 12th consecutive conference series.