Completed Event: Baseball versus Oklahoma State on February 19, 2026 , Win , 12, to, 8
Baseball
vs Oklahoma State
W 12-8
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Tuesday, February 24
Cicerone Field at Anteater Ballpark • Irvine, Calif.
7 p.m. (MST)
Grand Canyon
2-6
0
at
3
UC Irvine
6-2
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Grand Canyon
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
7
1
UC Irvine
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
X
3
6
0
Photo by: Braden Dohrmann
Higginbottom stars in pitcher's duel; Lopes fall late
2/24/2026 9:59:00 PM | Baseball
GCU, UC Irvine play 7 scoreless frames
IRVINE, Calif. — Grand Canyon and UC Irvine engaged in a Tuesday night pitcher's duel. After seven scoreless frames, the Anteaters broke through for three runs in the eighth to win 3-0 at Anteater Ballpark.
GCU senior righty Elijah Higginbottom tossed five shutout innings with six strikeouts. He did not walk anyone and limited UC Irvine (6-2) to three hits. The midweek start marked the return of last year's version of Higginbottom — one of GCU's top bullpen options in 2025.
Tuesday's game marked GCU head coach Gregg Wallis' first return to his alma mater as a head coach. Wallis made previous returns in 2014 and 2022 as a GCU assistant.
The Lopes (2-6) outhit the Anteaters 7-6 but UC Irvine strung two key hits together in the eighth, aided by GCU defensive miscues. The Lopes had a chance to turn a double play to wipe the bases clean with two outs in the eighth. Instead, UC Irvine struck for three runs after an RBI single, a bases-loaded walk and a steal of home plate.
GCU senior catcher Mito Perez kept up his hot hitting with the Lopes' only multi-hit effort, raising his season average to .391.
It was a promising start for the Lopes in the top of the first with Perez's first hit starting a rally that included back-to-back walks. With the bases loaded and one out, a double play ended GCU's early threat.
The Lopes' offensive opportunities were limited through the remainder of the game against the nation's No. 28 ERA. GCU had a runner in scoring position with less than two outs in the third, seventh and ninth innings but could not push any runs across.
GCU was shut out for the first time in 23 months, dating back to a March 23, 2024, game at UT Rio Grande Valley.
While the Lopes were held off the scoreboard, pitching kept GCU right in the game. Higginbottom's five scoreless gave way to junior righty Tommy McGuire who tossed a pair of scoreless innings with four strikeouts. A leadoff hit batsman and the error on a potential double-play ball led to a tough-luck loss for McGuire.
The Lopes will look to force a split of the two-game midweek set on Wednesday where a 2 p.m. (Phoenix time) first pitch is scheduled. GCU freshman lefty Cody Kiemele is scheduled to make his college debut on the bump for the Lopes.
GCU senior righty Elijah Higginbottom tossed five shutout innings with six strikeouts. He did not walk anyone and limited UC Irvine (6-2) to three hits. The midweek start marked the return of last year's version of Higginbottom — one of GCU's top bullpen options in 2025.
Tuesday's game marked GCU head coach Gregg Wallis' first return to his alma mater as a head coach. Wallis made previous returns in 2014 and 2022 as a GCU assistant.
The Lopes (2-6) outhit the Anteaters 7-6 but UC Irvine strung two key hits together in the eighth, aided by GCU defensive miscues. The Lopes had a chance to turn a double play to wipe the bases clean with two outs in the eighth. Instead, UC Irvine struck for three runs after an RBI single, a bases-loaded walk and a steal of home plate.
GCU senior catcher Mito Perez kept up his hot hitting with the Lopes' only multi-hit effort, raising his season average to .391.
It was a promising start for the Lopes in the top of the first with Perez's first hit starting a rally that included back-to-back walks. With the bases loaded and one out, a double play ended GCU's early threat.
The Lopes' offensive opportunities were limited through the remainder of the game against the nation's No. 28 ERA. GCU had a runner in scoring position with less than two outs in the third, seventh and ninth innings but could not push any runs across.
GCU was shut out for the first time in 23 months, dating back to a March 23, 2024, game at UT Rio Grande Valley.
While the Lopes were held off the scoreboard, pitching kept GCU right in the game. Higginbottom's five scoreless gave way to junior righty Tommy McGuire who tossed a pair of scoreless innings with four strikeouts. A leadoff hit batsman and the error on a potential double-play ball led to a tough-luck loss for McGuire.
The Lopes will look to force a split of the two-game midweek set on Wednesday where a 2 p.m. (Phoenix time) first pitch is scheduled. GCU freshman lefty Cody Kiemele is scheduled to make his college debut on the bump for the Lopes.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Rodgers, Peyton (1-0)
L: McGuire, Tommy (0-1)
S: Brooks, Ryder (2)
Batting:
SH: Bates, Camden 1
Batting:
2B: Fjelstad, Zach 1
RBI: Fjelstad, Zach 1 ; Reyes, Alonso 1
SH: Gutierrez, Auggie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Fjelstad, Zach 1 ; Smith, Kai 1 ; Alvarez, Noah 1
SB: Fjelstad, Zach 1 ; Carney, Frankie 1 ; Reyes, Alonso 1
HBP: Ortega, Efren 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballC
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