Richardson's heat fires up staff's 3-hit shutout

Friday, April 19

Phoenix, Ariz.

7 p.m.

Grand Canyon

21-17, 12-4

Utah Tech

9-28, 7-12

Utah Tech

Grand Canyon

Photo by: Nate Cochran

4/19/2024 11:07:00 PM | Baseball, Paul Coro

Box Score

Wilson, Buries add 3 hits apiece as GCU stays half-game back of WAC lead

By: Paul Coro

On the night Grand Canyon brought back its Friday night ace for his first appearance in five weeks, the Lopes received an ace-like performance from a pitcher in his first Friday night start.

GCU rolled to a 9-0 home win against Utah Tech with sophomore Grant Richardson allowing one hit over five shutout innings before junior Daniel Avitia returned for a shutout inning and senior Shawn Triplett finished the cumulative three-hitter with three shutout innings.

Allowing the least amount of hits this season outside of Connor Mattison's no-hitter was far more than needed with the Lopes reaching base in 19 of 40 plate appearances.

HR celebration

GCU senior left fielder Tyler Wilson stayed torrid at the plate with his seventh consecutive multi-hit game, a stretch in which he has included an extra-base hit in each of the games. Wilson went 3 for 5 on Friday at GCU Ballpark with RBI hits in each of his first three at bats, including starting the scoring with his career-high ninth home run of the season.

"He made a couple good pitches and I just told myself to see something up," Wilson said. "He hung a slider and I put the bat on the ball and good things happened."

Wilson's second-inning home run to left field and third-inning RBI singles from senior third baseman Elijah Buries and Wilson put Richardson in command.

The left-hander threw 52 of his 79 pitches for strikes, consistently staying in front of Trail Blazers batters as he set career highs for innings (five) and strikeouts (seven).

"I felt like I had great control of the game," the Scottsdale Horizon High School graduate said. "When I got behind, I took a big, deep breath and told them if they can hit my fastball, let's see what they can do. My slider didn't have the best command, but my fastball felt really good and they couldn't hit it."

In his third consecutive start, Richardson pounded the zone with mid-90s fastballs but tried his second change-up of the season and landed it to end the first inning with a smile-provoking strikeout.

"The pitching staff was incredible, led by Grant Richardson in his first weekend starts," GCU head coach Gregg Wallis said. "His first game on a Friday night should show everyone the kind of confidence we have in him. He was dominant. He set the tone, took control of the game and we never let up from there."

Avitia, who last pitched March 15, threw a sharp inning of relief that ended with consecutive strikeouts after allowing a single.

Triplett delivered his third multi-inning shutout relief performance, nearly having three perfect innings Friday except for an infield hit to the pitcher. His three strikeouts brought the staff total to 12, the Lopes' 18th game of 10 or more strikeouts this season.

After Richardson's five shutout innings protected the 3-0 lead, the Lopes doubled the lead in the sixth with sophomore first baseman Zach Yorke's RBI sacrifice fly, Wilson's second RBI single and a two-out RBI single by sophomore shortstop Emilio Barreras.

Wilson, an annual .300-plus hitter, has lifted his season average to .370 by going 17 for 28 (.607) over the past seven games. Wallis said Wilson is "on another level right now."

Wilson's three-hit game was matched by Buries, who is hitting .358 since March 16.

"Before the game, we had a talk and challenged ourselves from Pitch 1 to the end of the game not give a single at bat away," Wilson said. "I think we did just that."

The GCU offense did not settle when junior designated hitter Michael Diaz started the seventh inning with a double to right field. Junior right fielder Eddy Pelc's RBI sacrifice fly made it a 7-0 Lopes lead before senior center fielder Cade Verdusco capped the scoring with a two-run double in his second start back from a one-month injury absence.

The Lopes' fourth conference shutout improved their WAC record to 12-4, a half-game behind California Baptist after it swept a Friday doubleheader at Abilene Christian. The GCU-Utah Tech series continues with Mattison starting a 7 p.m. Saturday night game and a noon Sunday series finale.