Starting pitching continues roll in Saturday clinch

Saturday, April 27

Bellevue, Wash.

11 a.m.

Grand Canyon

24-18, 15-5

Seattle U

12-30, 6-14

Grand Canyon

Seattle U

4/27/2024 2:07:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Lopes win 18th consecutive WAC road series, strand Seattle U's tying run on 3rd in 9th

By: Josh Hauser

BELLEVUE, Wash. — Grand Canyon stranded Seattle U's tying run on third base in the ninth to complete a 4-3 Saturday victory at Bannerwood Park. The Lopes clinched their 12th straight conference series and 18th straight road conference series.

"We don't take it for granted," GCU head coach Gregg Wallis said. "I think every road series is tough. That's pretty cool that this is our 18th straight road series and 12th WAC series in a row. The guys reminded me that Seattle U was the last team to beat us. So it's nice to come in here and get the series. We want to play really well tomorrow and end this thing on a good note."

The Lopes (24-18, 15-5 WAC) received another masterful starting pitching performance from a sophomore, this time by righty Isaac Lyon. The Santa Clara, Utah, native threw seven innings of one-run baseball, striking out nine while allowing only four hits and one walk.

GCU has been forced to shuffle its weekend pitching rotation around considerably throughout the season, but Richardson and Lyon have stepped up to the challenge. The last two weekends, the sophomores have combined to throw 25 innings, allow three earned runs (1.08 ERA) and strike out 34 batters.

"We felt like coming into the year that was a big strength of ours that we had a lot of depth on the mound," Wallis said. "Unfortunate that some guys have gone down, but it's also given some other guys opportunities and our young guys.

"We went sophomore, sophomore on Friday and Saturday and they were outstanding. That's two weeks in a row that both of those guys have been great. Isaac Lyon was awesome today. He brought his A game and we needed it. That was a tight ballgame in the rain. It was just an outstanding performance by him. A really good sign for the rest of the year and the future of the program that we have two sophomores that are really good and they're just coming into their own throwing on the weekends."

Sophomore righty Walter Quinn threw a scoreless eighth in relief but recording the elusive 27th out in the ninth proved difficult. The Redhawks (12-30, 6-14 WAC) pulled within a run and had the tying run on third base, but freshman right-hander Hunter Watkins ended the game by drawing a ground out for his second save.

Lopes junior third baseman Eli Paton started the second inning with a double to right field. A single by senior right fielder Eddy Pelc drove in Paton. After Pelc swiped second base, a productive ground out by senior catcher Alton Gyselman scored another run to put GCU in front 2-0.

The Redhawks halved their defict with their only run off of Lyon in the fourth.

GCU added key late insurance with single-run tallies in the seventh and ninth. Pelc hit a leadoff single to begin the seventh, moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a single by sophomore shortstop Emilio Barreras. In the ninth, Gyselman drew a leadoff walk and scored on a double by senior center fielder Cade Verdusco.

The Lopes had built their lead to 4-1 heading into the bottom of the ninth, just enough cushion to absorb Seattle U's two-run, three-hit ninth inning that was extended by a Lopes' error.

GCU finished the day with nine hits including multi-hit games from Pelc, Verdusco and senior left fielder Tyler Wilson.

The Lopes continue an unbelievable streak of not having lost a road conference series in nearly five years. GCU last dropped a road conference series to end the 2019 regular season at Sacramento State, falling 3-2 and 2-1 on May 16-17, 2019.

"Coming out on the road is fun," Wallis said. "There's something about just getting in the dugout, getting in the hotel, being around the guys all the time with no distractions. It's just fun getting on the road."

GCU has not swept a series since the conference opener at Stephen F. Austin in early March, a trend which the Lopes will look to reverse in Sunday's 11 a.m. series finale at Seattle U.