Completed Event: Baseball at Stanford on May 9, 2025 , Win , 4, to, 3
Baseball
at Stanford
W 4-3
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Sunday, March 24
Edinburg, Texas
10 a.m. (MST)
Grand Canyon
13-10, 7-2
17
at
0
UT Rio Grande Valley
12-10, 2-4
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
R
H
E
Grand Canyon
0
0
0
2
0
0
7
8
17
18
2
UT Rio Grande Valley
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
7
1
Photo by: Christian Inoferio
Photo by: Christian Inoferio
Photo by: Christian Inoferio
Photo by: Christian Inoferio
Photo by: CPI
Photo by: CPI
Photo by: CPI
Photo by: Christian Inoferio
Photo by: Christian Inoferio
Photo by: Christian Inoferio
Photo by: Christian Inoferio
Photo by: Christian Inoferio
Photo by: Christian Inoferio
Photo by: CPI
Photo by: CPI
Photo by: CPI
Photo by: CPI
Photo by: CPI
Photo by: CPI
Photo by: CPI
Photo by: CPI
Photo by: CPI
Photo by: CPI
Photo by: Christian Inoferio
Photo by: Christian Inoferio
Photo by: Christian Inoferio
Photo by: CPI
Photo by: Christian Inoferio
Photo by: Christian Inoferio
Photo by: Christian Inoferio
Photo by: Christian Inoferio
Photo by: Christian Inoferio
Photo by: Christian Inoferio
Photo by: Christian Inoferio
Photo by: Christian Inoferio
GCU runs away late to claim series
3/24/2024 12:19:00 PM | Baseball
Lopes post mercy-rule victory in rubber match for 2nd straight weekend
EDINBURG, Texas — Grand Canyon poured it on late to defeat UT Rio Grande Valley 17-0 and win the series on Sunday at UTRGV Baseball Stadium.
Due to a masterful pitching performance by four Lopes' arms, GCU's 2-0 lead in the fourth inning looked like it may be enough to close out a series win.
GCU's offense left no doubt late. The Lopes scored the number of runs to match the inning in the seventh and eighth, cruising to a 17-0 win. For the second straight weekend, GCU faced a winner-take-all series finale and responded with a mercy-rule blowout.
Sophomore righty Isaac Lyon picked up his second win after beginning the combined shutout with five scoreless innings. Lyon struck out six and surrendered just two hits.
After a scoreless first third of the game, GCU grabbed a 2-0 lead in the fourth. Senior left fielder Tyler Wilson singled to left with two outs and two strikes, setting the stage for junior designated hitter Beau Ankeney to hit his ninth homer of the season over the left field wall.
Senior center fielder Eddy Pelc opened the seventh inning with a double and it was off to the races. Vaqueros' starter Zach Tjelmeland entered the day with a 3-1 record and 1.63 ERA and had held the Lopes to two runs through six innings, but Pelc's double led to a series of well-placed bunts that UTRGV couldn't handle. Senior right fielder Elijah Buries followed it up with a double to chase Tjelmeland from the game.
Now up 4-0 in the seventh and into the Vaqueros' bullpen, junior third baseman Eli Paton drove in two runs on a single and sophomore first baseman Zach Yorke drew a walk. Wilson cleaned things up with a three-run opposite-field homer to stake the Lopes to a 9-0 lead.
The Lopes kept the offense moving in the eighth with seven hits that led to eight runs. Paton's three-run home run to right field highlighted the inning. Pinch-hitting freshmen Cannon Peery (single) and Troy Sanders (hit by pitch) each reached base, and junior outfielder Maxwell Andeel recorded his first hit of the season after working his way back from injury to debut defensively on Friday. Sophomore shortstop Emilio Barreras provided the exclamation point with a bases-clearing double to drive in three.
Lyon started the GCU shutout attempt, and it was finished off with scoreless one-inning appearances from sophomore Grant Richardson, sophomore Walter Quinn and freshman Hunter Watkins. The four Lopes pitchers did not walk a batter, the first such performance by GCU this season.
GCU senior second baseman Dustin Crenshaw, Wilson and Pelc had three-hit days. Paton drove in five runs and Barreras drove in four.
GCU posted its largest margin of victory in nearly six years, since an 18-1 road defeat of Northern Colorado on March 29, 2018. For the second straight Sunday, the Lopes posted their largest shutout since May 6, 2017, a 19-0 win over Seattle U in seven innings.
The Lopes have won all three of their WAC series and at 7-2 in conference play are bunched atop the standings with California Baptist (5-1) and Abilene Christian (6-3).
GCU welcomes in Sacramento State for a three-game series that begins on Thursday at Brazell Field at GCU Ballpark.
Due to a masterful pitching performance by four Lopes' arms, GCU's 2-0 lead in the fourth inning looked like it may be enough to close out a series win.
GCU's offense left no doubt late. The Lopes scored the number of runs to match the inning in the seventh and eighth, cruising to a 17-0 win. For the second straight weekend, GCU faced a winner-take-all series finale and responded with a mercy-rule blowout.
Sophomore righty Isaac Lyon picked up his second win after beginning the combined shutout with five scoreless innings. Lyon struck out six and surrendered just two hits.
After a scoreless first third of the game, GCU grabbed a 2-0 lead in the fourth. Senior left fielder Tyler Wilson singled to left with two outs and two strikes, setting the stage for junior designated hitter Beau Ankeney to hit his ninth homer of the season over the left field wall.
Senior center fielder Eddy Pelc opened the seventh inning with a double and it was off to the races. Vaqueros' starter Zach Tjelmeland entered the day with a 3-1 record and 1.63 ERA and had held the Lopes to two runs through six innings, but Pelc's double led to a series of well-placed bunts that UTRGV couldn't handle. Senior right fielder Elijah Buries followed it up with a double to chase Tjelmeland from the game.
Now up 4-0 in the seventh and into the Vaqueros' bullpen, junior third baseman Eli Paton drove in two runs on a single and sophomore first baseman Zach Yorke drew a walk. Wilson cleaned things up with a three-run opposite-field homer to stake the Lopes to a 9-0 lead.
The Lopes kept the offense moving in the eighth with seven hits that led to eight runs. Paton's three-run home run to right field highlighted the inning. Pinch-hitting freshmen Cannon Peery (single) and Troy Sanders (hit by pitch) each reached base, and junior outfielder Maxwell Andeel recorded his first hit of the season after working his way back from injury to debut defensively on Friday. Sophomore shortstop Emilio Barreras provided the exclamation point with a bases-clearing double to drive in three.
Lyon started the GCU shutout attempt, and it was finished off with scoreless one-inning appearances from sophomore Grant Richardson, sophomore Walter Quinn and freshman Hunter Watkins. The four Lopes pitchers did not walk a batter, the first such performance by GCU this season.
GCU senior second baseman Dustin Crenshaw, Wilson and Pelc had three-hit days. Paton drove in five runs and Barreras drove in four.
GCU posted its largest margin of victory in nearly six years, since an 18-1 road defeat of Northern Colorado on March 29, 2018. For the second straight Sunday, the Lopes posted their largest shutout since May 6, 2017, a 19-0 win over Seattle U in seven innings.
The Lopes have won all three of their WAC series and at 7-2 in conference play are bunched atop the standings with California Baptist (5-1) and Abilene Christian (6-3).
GCU welcomes in Sacramento State for a three-game series that begins on Thursday at Brazell Field at GCU Ballpark.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Lyon, Isaac (2-0)
L: Tjelmeland, Zach (3-2)
Batting:
2B: Buries, Elijah 1 ; Pelc, Eddy 1 ; Barreras, Emilio 1
HR: Paton, Eli 1 ; Wilson, Tyler 1 ; Ankeney, Beau 1
RBI: Buries, Elijah 1 ; Andeel, Maxwell 1 ; Paton, Eli 5 ; Wilson, Tyler 3 ; Ankeney, Beau 2 ; Pelc, Eddy 1 ; Barreras, Emilio 4
Base Running:
RUNS: Crenshaw, Dustin 2 ; Buries, Elijah 1 ; Andeel, Maxwell 1 ; Paton, Eli 2 ; Yorke, Zach 2 ; Wilson, Tyler 2 ; Peery, Cannon 1 ; Ankeney, Beau 1 ; Sanders, Troy 1 ; Pelc, Eddy 2 ; Barreras, Emilio 2
HBP: Andeel, Maxwell 1 ; Sanders, Troy 1
Base Running:
SB: Lopez, Isaac 1 ; Martinez, Erick 1
HBP: Valdez, CJ 1 ; Lopez, Isaac 1
Game Leaders
AB
6
R
2
H
3
RBI
0
AB
4
R
2
H
3
RBI
3
Players Mentioned
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1B
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Thursday, May 22
Baseball at Stanford - Barreras' game-winning double
Saturday, May 10
Baseball vs. Arizona (5/6/25) - Yorke homers twice to break record
Wednesday, May 07
GCU Baseball - Eli Paton walk-off single vs. UTA
Saturday, April 26