Completed Event: Baseball at Stanford on May 9, 2025 , Win , 4, to, 3
Baseball
at Stanford
W 4-3
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Saturday, March 22
Abilene, Texas
1 p.m. (MST)
Grand Canyon
13-9, 1-1
1
at
3
Abilene Christian
15-7, 1-1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Grand Canyon
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
2
1
Abilene Christian
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
2
3
3
2
Photo by: Scott Foley
Pitchers' duel goes to Wildcats
3/22/2025 4:43:00 PM | Baseball
Ahern throws 5 perfect innings; Abilene Christian hits walk-off homer
ABILENE, Texas — Grand Canyon and Abilene Christian engaged in a Saturday pitchers' duel at Crutcher Scott Field, and the Wildcats emerged with a 3-1 walk-off victory.
The loss sets up a rubber match on Sunday at 10 a.m. (Phoenix time) in the first conference series of 2025, when the Lopes (13-9, 1-1 WAC) will aim for their 16th straight WAC series win. GCU has won its last six WAC rubber matches.
GCU right-hander Garrett Ahern was superb in the start. The sophomore threw five perfect innings, six no-hit innings and allowed only one hit in an outing that spanned 6 2/3 innings. That hit was a seventh-inning single that tied the game on an unearned run.
GCU had a 1-0 lead in the fifth after it also scored an unearned run. Sophomore catcher Marcus Galvan was hit by a pitch and moved around the bases to score on a pair of Abilene Christian fielding errors.
Abilene Christian sophomore left-hander Brett Lanman — the Preseason WAC Pitcher of the Year — threw a complete game to improve to 4-0. He allowed two GCU hits and one unearned run with seven strikeouts on 103 pitches.
GCU looked to reclaim the lead in the eighth inning after sophomore shortstop Troy Sanders opened the frame with a single. He moved into scoring position with just one out but was thrown out at third on a ground ball to shortstop.
The Wildcats ended the game in the ninth on a walk-off, two-run home run to left field by designated hitter Diego Cardenas.
For just the second time since returning to Division I for the 2014 season, the Lopes dropped a game in which they gave up three or fewer hits (May 17, 2019 at Sacramento State).
Sunday's series finale in Abilene will only be streamed on WACinternational.tv, which requires a free account to be created for viewing.
The loss sets up a rubber match on Sunday at 10 a.m. (Phoenix time) in the first conference series of 2025, when the Lopes (13-9, 1-1 WAC) will aim for their 16th straight WAC series win. GCU has won its last six WAC rubber matches.
GCU right-hander Garrett Ahern was superb in the start. The sophomore threw five perfect innings, six no-hit innings and allowed only one hit in an outing that spanned 6 2/3 innings. That hit was a seventh-inning single that tied the game on an unearned run.
GCU had a 1-0 lead in the fifth after it also scored an unearned run. Sophomore catcher Marcus Galvan was hit by a pitch and moved around the bases to score on a pair of Abilene Christian fielding errors.
Abilene Christian sophomore left-hander Brett Lanman — the Preseason WAC Pitcher of the Year — threw a complete game to improve to 4-0. He allowed two GCU hits and one unearned run with seven strikeouts on 103 pitches.
GCU looked to reclaim the lead in the eighth inning after sophomore shortstop Troy Sanders opened the frame with a single. He moved into scoring position with just one out but was thrown out at third on a ground ball to shortstop.
The Wildcats ended the game in the ninth on a walk-off, two-run home run to left field by designated hitter Diego Cardenas.
For just the second time since returning to Division I for the 2014 season, the Lopes dropped a game in which they gave up three or fewer hits (May 17, 2019 at Sacramento State).
Sunday's series finale in Abilene will only be streamed on WACinternational.tv, which requires a free account to be created for viewing.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Lanman, Brett (4-0)
L: Quinn, Walter (1-2)
Batting:
SH: Smolinski, Hunter 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Galvan, Marcus 1
HBP: Galvan, Marcus 1 ; Sanders, Troy 1
Batting:
HR: Cardenas, Diego 1
RBI: Cardenas, Diego 2 ; Hardcastle, Sam 1
SH: Ratdke, Ranse 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Greer, Benjamin 1 ; Rook, Holden 1 ; Cardenas, Diego 1
SB: Regala, Braden 1 ; Greer, Benjamin 1
HBP: Watkins, Grant 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
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