Homers power GCU to 16th straight WAC series

Sunday, March 23

Abilene, Texas

10 a.m. (MST)

Grand Canyon

14-9, 2-1

Abilene Christian

15-8, 1-2

Grand Canyon

Abilene Christian

Photo by: Rachel Sollazzo

3/23/2025 1:26:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Diaz knocks out 2, Huff goes deep to account for 5 of Lopes' 7 runs

By: Josh Hauser

ABILENE, Texas — Grand Canyon won its 16th consecutive WAC series and seventh straight conference rubber match by defeating Abilene Christian 7-4 at Crutcher Scott Field on Sunday.

GCU (14-9, 2-1 WAC) used the long ball to do the brunt of its scoring with five of its seven runs coming on home runs. The three homers marked the most in a Lopes game this season.

Although it was only the first conference series of the season, it was an important one to get as GCU and Abilene Christian (15-9, 1-2 WAC) entered the weekend with two of the conference's top three winning percentages.

Senior outfielder Michael Diaz had the first two-homer game of his GCU career, hitting a solo shot to get the Lopes on the board in the first and a two-run home run to extend the lead in the fourth. Both of Diaz's homers came with two outs.

Sophomore catcher Kade Huff joined in on the action, hitting his first collegiate home run in the sixth inning. Huff also doubled in the fourth, matching Diaz with three RBIs on the day.

Lopes junior left-hander Chance Key put together the best start of his career, earning his first Division I win. He faced immediate trouble in the first inning but stranded the bases loaded by striking out three. Key went on to toss a season-high five innings with one run allowed and seven strikeouts.

After having to enter early to get the final two outs of the eighth inning, senior closer Walter Quinn had a drama-free ninth to earn his fifth save of the season.

The early power hitting of Diaz and Huff helped GCU build a 4-0 lead in the top of the fourth.

Abilene Christian got a run back in the bottom of the fourth on a solo home run, but GCU replied with two more in the top of the sixth on Huff's homer.

The Lopes and Wildcats balanced each other out with matching single-run tallies in the bottom of the sixth and the top of the seventh. GCU scored its seventh and final run in the seventh when sophomore catcher Marcus Galvan, junior right fielder Josh Wakefield and junior first baseman Zach Yorke teamed up with singles to net a run.

Abilene Christian posed its biggest threat in the bottom of the seventh with a walk, hit batsman and two hits, but GCU got out of the inning with only two runs of damage and a 7-4 lead.

GCU holds the nation's best conference winning percentage the last seven years (159-47, .772) and has won 16 consecutive conference series and 29 of the last 31.

The Lopes will wrap an extended nine-game road stretch — their longest since 2022 — by facing New Mexico in Albuquerque on Tuesday at 5 p.m. (Phoenix time).