Gaels break 6th-inning tie with 7 late runs

Friday, April 5

Moraga, Calif.

3 p.m.

Grand Canyon

15-13

St. Mary's

16-10

Grand Canyon

Saint Mary's

4/5/2024 7:29:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

GCU, Saint Mary's play tightly contested 6 innings before Gales pull away in opener

By: Josh Hauser

MORAGA, Calif. — Grand Canyon and Saint Mary's played through rain, hail and a lightning delay, and the Gaels came away with Friday's series opener 11-6.

After the lengthy pause due to lightning, GCU senior catcher Alton Gyselman hit a sixth-inning solo home run that tied the game at 4. Saint Mary's (16-10), however, responded with seven unanswered runs to put the game away.

GCU (15-13) struggled defensively in the sloppy conditions, committing an uncharacteristic three errors that led to four unearned runs scoring. The Lopes entered the game as one of the nation's top-10 teams in fielding percentage.

The Lopes opened the scoring in the first inning on an RBI single by senior left fielder Tyler Wilson. GCU made it 2-0 in the second inning when junior third baseman Eli Paton hit a leadoff home run, his sixth homer of the season.

Saint Mary's rebounded to tie it with single tallies in the second and third innings including a solo homer in the second.

In the fourth, Paton again opened a frame with a hit and came around to score on a Gyselman sac bunt and an RBI single by sophomore shortstop Emilio Barreras.

The rain and hail came in the bottom of the fourth, where the Gaels scored two runs to take their first lead.

While the teams played through the rain and hail, the game had to be halted when lightning was in the vicinity. The delay lasted around 40 minutes.

Gyselman was the first batter after the resumption of play, and he homered to tie the game.

A four-run Saint Mary's sixth inning featured two walks, an error and three hits. A three-run Saint Mary's seventh inning featured four hits. The Gaels built their lead to 11-4.

GCU scored the game's last two runs. In the eighth, a pinch-hitting freshman Cannon Peery drew a walk and scored on a sac fly by pinch-hitting freshman Troy Sanders. In the ninth, senior second baseman Dustin Crenshaw doubled and scored on the first career base hit of pinch-hitting freshman Marcus Galvan.

The Lopes and Gaels will play a Saturday doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m. with the first game shortened to seven innings.