Stranding runners in loss sets up must-win Friday

Thursday, May 25

Mesa, Ariz.

8 p.m.

Grand Canyon

37-20

UT Arlington

29-28

Grand Canyon

UTA

Photo by: David Kadlubowski

5/25/2023 11:04:00 PM | Baseball, Paul Coro

Box Score Photo Gallery

GCU rally falls short in 6-5 loss to UT Arlington, faces Sam Houston at 4 p.m.

By: Paul Coro

During 14 consecutive victories, Grand Canyon never faced what it could not overcome Thursday night — a three-run deficit.

The top-seeded Lopes could only shave two of the three runs needed off that UT Arlington lead, taking a 6-5 upset loss in the WAC Tournament at Hohokam Stadium to set up a scenario in which GCU must win three consecutive games to be tourney champions.

That quest will start with a 4 p.m. Friday elimination game at Hohokam against Sam Houston (35-23).

As it begins playing elimination games, GCU (37-20) will have to capitalize on scoring opportunities better than its 1-for-13 hitting with runners in scoring position Thursday night against UT Arlington (29-28).

Entering the ninth in a 6-4 hole, junior center fielder Homer Bush Jr. and graduate second baseman Zack Gregory set the table with singles before junior shortstop Jacob Wilson loaded the bases by reaching on an error with no outs. Just as GCU settled for one run on senior catcher Josh Buckley's RBI sacrifice fly with runners on second and third and one out in the eighth, the Lopes scored one ninth-inning run with the bas Mesa, AZ May 25, 2023: Grand Canyon's comeback fall short in. Their 6-5 loss to UT Arlington during the 2023 WAC tournament at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, AZ. Photo by: David Kadlubowski/ / GCU

es loaded and no outs on freshman first baseman Zach Yorke's RBI sacrifice fly.

Mavericks left-handed closer Gray Bailey, who is from Glendale's Mountain Ridge High School, closed out his sixth save and GCU's first May loss by striking out junior left fielder Elijah Buries and getting a game-ending liner to left field from junior Cade Verdusco.

The Lopes were 10 for 23 when batting to put runners in scoring position, but Wilson was the only Lopes player to get a hit with a runner in scoring position.

"We definitely didn't take good at bats," GCU head coach Gregg Wallis said. "I don't know if they were pressing or it's the (bigger) ballpark effect. We hit too many fly balls tonight (16). Typically, we're not a fly-ball hitting team. We talked about, in this park, if you're going to hit fly balls, it's not a good recipe. We'll come back tomorrow and make an adjustment. We've still got life."

GCU starter Zach Thornton, a junior left-hander, had his shortest outing of the season in his WAC Tournament debut. Thornton allowed seven hits and four earned runs in 4 1/3 innings. Thornton was pulled in a 3-3 game with a Mavericks runner on second and one out, but the GCU bullpen faltered after a 13-game run with 1.47 ERA from the relief pitchers.

UT Arlington greeted Lopes junior reliever Shawn Triplett with a walk and a double to take the lead to 5-3 and stretched that to 6-3 on a two-out RBI single.

"I made a tough decision to go with Tripp," Wallis said. "I thought there were slider matchups there. It's been working, and it didn't work today."

Meanwhile, Mavericks senior right-hander Brayden Brooks picked up his first career win with a season-long outing of five innings, allowing only three runs. The former South Mountain Community College pitcher, who had thrown 15 innings this season, picked up early momentum when he stranded junior center fielder Homer Bush Jr. after a first-inning, leadoff double and senior catcher Josh Buckley after a leadoff single in the third inning.

"That should have been the first sign," Wallis said. "It's never easy, When Homer starts off the game with a double, it looks like we're going to jump on the board, and we didn't. The game can be won or lost in the first. It might've been won or lost tonight in the first, not the ninth."

Mesa, AZ May 25, 2023: Grand Canyon's comeback fall short in. Their 6-5 loss to UT Arlington during the 2023 WAC tournament at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, AZ. Photo by: David Kadlubowski/ / GCU

Brooks' three runs allowed were earned, but they all came after a UT Arlington throwing error prevented an inning-ending double play.in the top of the fifth inning. After the error allowed GCU's first run, Gregory ripped a two-out, RBI double to the base of right-center field wall. Wilson followed on the next pitch with a RBI single up the middle to tie the score at 3-3.

"We knew it was going to be tough," UT Arlington head coach Clay Van Hook said. "Grand Canyon is the No. 1 seed for a reason. The work's not done."

GCU junior designated hitter Tyler Wilson set a season high for hits with a 4-for-4 game while Gregory also tied the program's Division I single-season record for walks (49) and Yorke tied the GCU all-time freshman record for RBIs with 61.

"It's not the craziest thing in the world that we have to do to be the tournament champion still," Wallis said. "We only have to win one game tomorrow. We have to take one game at a time, but we've got a doubleheader on Saturday if they get there. We've got some good pitching left."

While UT Arlington was playing its fourth game and winning its third straight elimination game Thursday, the Lopes were only playing their second game by virtue of being the regular-season champions. That leaves them with unused starting pitching options in junior left-hander Connor Markl, who has allowed two runs over seven innings of his past three appearances, and junior right-hander Carter Young, who has a 2.08 ERA in his past two starts.

The Lopes will need to do something that they have not done previously after WAC Tournament defeats. In 2018, 2019 and 2022, GCU lost two consecutive tournament games.

"I want to be the first team to take a punch and come back and still show some fight," Wallis said.