Completed Event: Baseball at Stanford on May 9, 2025 , Win , 4, to, 3
Baseball
at Stanford
W 4-3
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Saturday, February 22
Phoenix, Ariz.
1 p.m.
Grand Canyon
4-2
10
vs
3
Rutgers
2-3
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Rutgers
0
1
1
0
1
0
0
3
8
1
Grand Canyon
1
0
3
1
3
2
X
10
10
2
Photo by: Rachel Sollazzo
GCU clinches Rutgers series with doubleheader sweep
2/22/2025 3:30:00 PM | Baseball
Ahern moves to 6-0 on career after Game 1 win; Lopes mount wild comeback in Game 2
Grand Canyon swept a Saturday doubleheader by cruising to a 10-3 victory in Game 1 and staging a come-from-behind win in the nightcap.
The Lopes (5-2) have won four straight — all against Big Ten opponents — and clinched the four-game series against Rutgers.
Pelc homered in the third and sixth innings to bring home half of the Lopes' runs in a game preset for seven innings in the doubleheader.
Ahern delivered his second six-inning outing for a win this season, following up a seven-strikeout performance against San Diego State by allowing two earned runs with five strikeouts against Rutgers. The Campo Verde High School graduate from Gilbert, Arizona, moved his career record to 6-0 with a 2.25 ERA this season.
The Lopes struck in the first inning when Pelc was struck by a pitch and scored from first base on a two-out bloop single to center field by junior first baseman Zach Yorke, who went 2 for 2 with two walks.
Rutgers tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the second with a two-out rally and took a 2-1 lead in the third inning, when an unearned run scored on another two-out RBI single.
GCU set up Pelc in the bottom of the third when sophomore catcher Marcus Galvan led off with a single to center field and sophomore second baseman Troy Sanders stayed hot with a one-out single. Sanders is 5 for 8 in the series, raising his batting average to .360 in his first season as a full-time starter.
Pelc gave the Lopes a 4-2 lead when he plated Galvan and Sanders with a three-run, 405-blast to right field.Â
The Lopes extended the lead to 5-2 in the bottom of the fourth, when sophomore designated hitter Kade Huff led off with a single to center field and came around to score on a Rutgers error and a two-out RBI single by junior shorstop Emilio Barreras. That closed the book oon Rutgers starter Landon Mack., who threw four shutout innings in his first start against Kennesaw State.
The Scarlet Knights trimmed the lead to 5-3 in the top of the fifth inning before another leadoff single, this one by Sanders, led to a three-run bottom half of the fifth for the Lopes.
Three consecutive walks scored the first GCU run of the inning for a 6-3 lead before senior right fielder Michael Diaz added a RBI single and sophomore left fielder Carson Ohland's bases-loaded walk increased the Lopes' lead to 8-3.
Once Ahern closed his outing with a shutout sixth inning on three ground outs, Sanders'Â leadoff walk in the bottom of the sixth preceded another Pelc home run to right field for a 10-3 lead. Pelc also posted a two-home run game last season at Seattle U on April 28.
Lopes senior reliever Barrett Skaugrud closed the seven-inning game with a perfect final inning that included two strikeouts.
Â
Moments after the Scarlet Knights extended their lead to 8-5 with a two-run top of the eighth, GCU posted its eight-run, six-hit outburst that included a stretch of nine consecutive batters reaching base.
Senior right fielder Michael Diaz delivered the big blow, a three-run home run that built the lead to 13-8. Before that, sophomore left fielder Cannon Peery pulled the Lopes within a run on a two-RBI single. Senior third baseman Eli Paton gave the Lopes a lead with a two-run double. Galvan singled through the right side to drive in another run.
It was a back-and-forth game early on with each team scoring runs in its first two times at bat.
Each team posted three-run fourth innings. In the home half, GCU used RBI-producing contact from junior designated hitter Cael Boever, Yorke and Peery.
Rutgers grew its lead in the eighth before GCU's offensive explosion.
Peery had a four-hit game for the Lopes with Barreras not far behind with three hits.
Junior right-hander Cam Cunnings was credited with the victory for his 1 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball to close out the game.
GCU and Rutgers close the four-game series on Sunday at 1 p.m. with the Lopes sending junior lefty Chance Key to the bump.
Â
The Lopes (5-2) have won four straight — all against Big Ten opponents — and clinched the four-game series against Rutgers.
Game 1: Lopes cruise to 10-3 win
GCU used graduate center fielder Eddy Pelc's two home runs and sophomore right-hander Garrett Ahern's quality start to win 10-3.Pelc homered in the third and sixth innings to bring home half of the Lopes' runs in a game preset for seven innings in the doubleheader.
Ahern delivered his second six-inning outing for a win this season, following up a seven-strikeout performance against San Diego State by allowing two earned runs with five strikeouts against Rutgers. The Campo Verde High School graduate from Gilbert, Arizona, moved his career record to 6-0 with a 2.25 ERA this season.
The Lopes struck in the first inning when Pelc was struck by a pitch and scored from first base on a two-out bloop single to center field by junior first baseman Zach Yorke, who went 2 for 2 with two walks.
Rutgers tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the second with a two-out rally and took a 2-1 lead in the third inning, when an unearned run scored on another two-out RBI single.
GCU set up Pelc in the bottom of the third when sophomore catcher Marcus Galvan led off with a single to center field and sophomore second baseman Troy Sanders stayed hot with a one-out single. Sanders is 5 for 8 in the series, raising his batting average to .360 in his first season as a full-time starter.
Pelc gave the Lopes a 4-2 lead when he plated Galvan and Sanders with a three-run, 405-blast to right field.Â
The Lopes extended the lead to 5-2 in the bottom of the fourth, when sophomore designated hitter Kade Huff led off with a single to center field and came around to score on a Rutgers error and a two-out RBI single by junior shorstop Emilio Barreras. That closed the book oon Rutgers starter Landon Mack., who threw four shutout innings in his first start against Kennesaw State.
The Scarlet Knights trimmed the lead to 5-3 in the top of the fifth inning before another leadoff single, this one by Sanders, led to a three-run bottom half of the fifth for the Lopes.
Three consecutive walks scored the first GCU run of the inning for a 6-3 lead before senior right fielder Michael Diaz added a RBI single and sophomore left fielder Carson Ohland's bases-loaded walk increased the Lopes' lead to 8-3.
Once Ahern closed his outing with a shutout sixth inning on three ground outs, Sanders'Â leadoff walk in the bottom of the sixth preceded another Pelc home run to right field for a 10-3 lead. Pelc also posted a two-home run game last season at Seattle U on April 28.
Lopes senior reliever Barrett Skaugrud closed the seven-inning game with a perfect final inning that included two strikeouts.
Â
Game 2: GCU uses 8-run 8th to rally
GCU used an eight-run eighth inning to recover from an 8-5 deficit and defeat Rutgers 13-8 in the nightcap.Moments after the Scarlet Knights extended their lead to 8-5 with a two-run top of the eighth, GCU posted its eight-run, six-hit outburst that included a stretch of nine consecutive batters reaching base.
Senior right fielder Michael Diaz delivered the big blow, a three-run home run that built the lead to 13-8. Before that, sophomore left fielder Cannon Peery pulled the Lopes within a run on a two-RBI single. Senior third baseman Eli Paton gave the Lopes a lead with a two-run double. Galvan singled through the right side to drive in another run.
It was a back-and-forth game early on with each team scoring runs in its first two times at bat.
Each team posted three-run fourth innings. In the home half, GCU used RBI-producing contact from junior designated hitter Cael Boever, Yorke and Peery.
Rutgers grew its lead in the eighth before GCU's offensive explosion.
Peery had a four-hit game for the Lopes with Barreras not far behind with three hits.
Junior right-hander Cam Cunnings was credited with the victory for his 1 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball to close out the game.
GCU and Rutgers close the four-game series on Sunday at 1 p.m. with the Lopes sending junior lefty Chance Key to the bump.
Â
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Ahern, Garrett (2-0)
L: Landon Mack (0-1)
Batting:
RBI: Nick Tomasetto 2 ; RJ Johnson Jr. 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Ty Doucette 2 ; JT Thompson 1
SB: Trevor Cohen 1
PO: Trevor Cohen 1
Batting:
HR: Pelc, Eddy 2
RBI: Barreras, Emilio 1 ; Pelc, Eddy 5 ; Yorke, Zach 1 ; Huff, Kade 1 ; Diaz, Michael 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Sanders, Troy 3 ; Pelc, Eddy 3 ; Yorke, Zach 1 ; Paton, Eli 1 ; Huff, Kade 1 ; Galvan, Marcus 1
HBP: Pelc, Eddy 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
3
H
2
RBI
0
AB
2
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
C/3B
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
INF
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball1B
/ BaseballGCU Baseball - WAC Tournament vs. Utah Tech - Highlights
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