Lopes ride Waves for 14-hit barrage

Tuesday, March 4

Phoenix, Ariz.

6 p.m.

Grand Canyon

8-4

Pepperdine

3-10

Pepperdine

Grand Canyon

Photo by: Rachel Sollazzo

3/4/2025 9:30:00 PM | Baseball, Paul Coro

Box Score Photo Gallery

Paton's 4-hit, 5-RBI game backs up GCU's 11-K, 1-walk outing

By: Paul Coro

For four consecutive innings Tuesday night, Grand Canyon senior third baseman Eli Paton was driving people home like he was behind the wheel of a rideshare.

Paton enjoyed company in GCU's 14-hit parade that trounced Pepperdine 13-3 at GCU Ballpark, but he was the offensive grand marshal.

The Lopes' 13 unanswered runs began with Paton's leadoff home run, his third of the season, over the right-field net in the second inning after the Waves had taken a 2-0 lead. Paton followed by ripping a go-ahead RBI double in the third, guiding a RBI infield single in the fourth and drilling a two-run double in the fifth. The latter RBI double came when Paton turned on an 0-2 pitch to spark a five-run GCU rally that began with nobody on base and two outs.

"Eli had great at bats and with him and Emilio (Barreras) and those veterans, they're leading the way," said Lopes head coach Gregg Wallis, referring to his junior shortstop's one-hit, two-walk night as well.

"It's starting in their batting practice work. If you watch what they're doing in batting practice, they're controlling the barrel. They're taking really professional approaches to their BP work, and it's translating right over. That's what really talented good players do. but these guys are experienced. They know what they're doing up there and it is carrying right over to game time."

Eli Paton

Paton's first career 4-for-4 game delivered five RBIs, one shy of his career high, and was backed up by graduate center fielder Eddy Pelc, who crushed a three-run home run in the fifth inning for a 12-2 lead, and sophomore designated hitter Cannon Peery, who went 3 for 4 with two RBIs that included a pivotal two-strike RBI single for a 2-2 tie.

The Lopes (8-4) fell one hit shy of their season high and are hitting .306 as a team with Paton now at .375, only trailing Barreras' .444 clip and 11-game hitting streak.

"I felt like that since this weekend, honestly," said Paton, who is on a six-game hitting streak. "I felt great. I shortened up my approach and started driving the baseballs. I knew they were going to fall, but I didn't know four were going to fall today, but it was a great day.

"It's really been a team effort, one through nine. It's fun to watch."

GCU backed up the offensive onslaught with clean defense and a pitching staff outing that was highlighted by a pair of freshman right-handed relievers.

Ross Clark, from Brea, California, earned his first career win for two shutout innings with one hit allowed that he stranded with an inning-ending strikeout.

With the Lopes lead at 7-2, Billy Gregory's third GCU appearance opened by surrendering three consecutive singles before he dodged the bases-loaded jam unscathed with a three-pitch strikeout, an infield pop-up and an inning-ending strikeout in which he fooled Pepperdine clean-up hitter Julian Nunez on a breaking ball.

After allowing the first three hits, the Scottsdale Saguaro High School graduate only allowed one more hit in his three shutout innings that dropped Gregory's season ERA to 1.12.

"That was really impressive," Wallis said of Gregory's fifth-inning escape. "He really was throwing that change-up great. He was attacking those hitters. He gave up some hits, but he was attacking the strike zone, so that was great to see."

GCU entered the game ranked second nationally for walks per nine innings and maintained its command of the strike zone with 11 strikeouts and one walk among its five newcomer pitchers.

Freshman right-hander Gunnar Penzkover started for two innings, and the final two innings were handled by junior college transfers Cam Cunnings and Cayden Collins. The effort increased the Lopes season's strikeout-to-walk ratio, which already ranked 15th nationally, to 3.96 to 1 after Tuesday's victory.

"They attacked the strike zone," Wallis said. "That's something that that we preached and that (pitching) coach (Nathan) Bannister has instilled in them. We talk about it at all the time, that we want to attack and make the other team beat us by swinging the bat. Sometimes that happens, but it's it's baseball. So we know if we attack the strikes zone and play great defense, we have a good shot to win the game."

Eddy Pelc

Pelc's home run, his fourth in the past seven games, came when he hopped on a 2-0 pitch after Paton's second RBI double. Pelc has hit four home runs in 46 at bats this season after belting five home runs in 196 at bats last season, when he hit .352 and was the team's NCAA Tucson Regional offensive standout.

"The ball's staying true off his bat," Wallis said. "He's driving the ball to the pull side. When he gets it, it's really going and his BP has been great. He's keeping the ball true in batting practice, to the opposite field, to the gaps and to the pull side. He's hitting with what we call great backspin. So now when he's getting it to the pull side, it's leaving the yard."

GCU stays home for a weekend series against Texas Tech, which appeared in seven consecutive NCAA tournaments until last season's 33-26 team did not qualify.

"Obviously, we know they're going to be talented," Wallis said. "We know they're going to feature great athletes and power and you know they'll have power arms on the mound. We'll turn the page to scouting them a little bit, but the history of their program shows that we're in for a battle this weekend."