GCU erases early deficit, hangs on late

Saturday, April 1

Orem, Utah

1 p.m. (MST)

Grand Canyon

17-9, 8-3

Utah Valley

14-12, 2-4

Grand Canyon

Utah Valley

4/1/2023 4:22:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Cooper-Vassalakis strands tying run at 3rd; Lopes clinch series at Utah Valley

By: Josh Hauser

OREM, Utah — Grand Canyon scored five consecutive runs in the sixth and seventh innings to erase an early deficit, and the Lopes hung on late to clinch the series with a 6-5 win at Utah Valley on Saturday.

GCU graduate pitcher Brodie Cooper-Vassalakis earned his first save of the season and had to work for it. The right-hander entered with the tying run on third base before an inning-ending strikeout. Utah Valley picked up a two-out triple off of Cooper-Vassalakis in the ninth before he again stranded the tying run at third to seal the victory.

"It's always just stick to the same plan," said Cooper-Vassalakis, who used the strikeout to record all four of his outs. "Get ahead, throw strikes, execute. I think the biggest thing right now is just pick each other up. If a guy has a tough day, pick him up. If a guy has a great day, pick him up again. Just trying to do something for the team more than anything."

Since Cooper-Vassalakis never surrendered GCU's lead, he secured the third win of the season for Lopes starting pitcher Daniel Avitia. The sophomore threw seven innings, scattering eight hits for three runs.

"Once I found my fastball and change-up, it all went good after that," said Avitia, who did not give up a run in his final three innings of work. "I just started throwing it really hard and everything just turned out well. I could tell after the first inning, this might be a little grind start. A little challenging but nothing bad. I like the adversity."

GCU struck first on an RBI ground out from junior shortstop Jacob Wilson to score junior center fielder Homer Bush Jr. who opened the inning with a double. The Lopes have scored in the first inning in eight of their last nine games.

Utah Valley reeled off three unanswered runs with single tallies in the first, second and fourth to lead it 3-1.

The Wolverines' 3-1 lead held until the sixth when GCU wore down UVU starting pitcher Logan Gerling. The Lopes singled six times in the sixth including a string of five consecutively. Senior catcher Josh Buckley's RBI single pulled GCU within a run at 3-2. Bush hit a two-run single to put the Lopes in front. Wilson capped things off with an RBI single to make it 5-3.

"I trust all the hitters," Avitia said. "If I give up a one or a two, I have complete faith in our hitters. We're a really good hitting team."

GCU junior Elijah Buries tacked on a key insurance run with a solo home run to open the seventh inning, his first of the season.

The Wolverines climbed back into the game with a two-out, two-run single in the eighth before Cooper-Vassalakis came in and saved the game.

"We get thrown down but we come back," Avitia said of GCU's pitching corps. "We always come back. Just grinders really."

GCU's bottom portion of the lineup had struggled to get the offense moving of late, but they rebounded in a big way. The bottom five batters in the order accounted for seven of GCU's 11 hits on the day with the fifth through ninth spots in the order each picking up at least one hit. Multi-hit days came from Bush, Buries and freshman Emilio Barreras.

The Lopes have won all six of their all-time series contested in Orem but will go for their second sweep and first since 2019. Sunday's finale is set for 11 a.m. (Phoenix time).