Completed Event: Baseball versus San Diego State on March 29, 2026 , Loss , 2, to, 7
Baseball
vs San Diego State
L 2-7
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Tuesday, April 7
Phoenix, Ariz.
6 p.m.
Grand Canyon
11-22
8
vs
12
Arizona State
24-9
1st innning1
2nd innning2
3rd innning3
4th innning4
5th innning5
6th innning6
7th innning7
8th innning8
9th innning9
RunsR
HitsH
ErrorsE
Arizona State
0
0
3
0
1
0
6
0
2
12
11
0
Grand Canyon
1
6
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
8
11
2
Photo by: David Kadlubowski
7-0 lead on No. 20 ASU slips away
4/7/2026 11:12:00 PM | Baseball, Paul Coro
GCU posts largest offensive inning of season with Schmidt's power
Grand Canyon had that fleeting moment of what it believes it can be for the stretch of the season, but could not freeze the snapshot against a top-20 team Tuesday night.
With 2,252 fans at GCU Ballpark, the Lopes held their largest lead (7-0) since Opening Night and posted their biggest scoring inning of the season (a six-run second inning) before No. 20 Arizona State's offensive machine powered its largest comeback of the season. The Sun Devils matched a season high with six home runs and used 10 walks to turn a 7-0 hole into a 12-8 victory.
ASU (24-9) did not take its first lead until it also posted a six-run inning in the seventh, when D1Baseball Midseason Top Hitter honoree Landon Hairston broke an 8-8 tie with his 19th home run of the season on a 3-2 pitch. GCU pitchers had held Hairston, who hits .451, to an 0-for-4 night until the two-run blast came two batters after a game-tying grand slam by catcher Coen Niclai, who hit two of ASU's six home runs after having two home runs previously this season.
The Lopes (11-22) had not allowed more than three home runs in a game this season, but ASU backed up its national No. 5 batting average and No. 8 slugging percentage with a six-home run game. Four of the homers followed a walk in a four-run game.
It was the GCU pitching staff's third 10-walk game of the season after not having one since 2022.
"When you were facing a good offense like that, you can't give them free bases," Lopes interim head coach Nathan Bannister said. "Then they capitalize. If they're going to beat you, make it a solo shot. If we're adding free bases in front of that, that's where the crooked numbers come.
"It took them seven innings to really get back into the game. A couple crooked numbers gave them a chance to win. We had a six-spot of our own. The boys were full of energy. They were competing hard. Just that one inning got away from us."
In a six-pitcher game, GCU freshman left-hander Cody Kiemele opened with two shutout innings despite walking four to give the Lopes a chance to burst ahead. The early surge began subtly with junior Cannon Peery's RBI sacrifice fly in the first inning, but the Lopes scored six runs in the second inning with one out and then put two more hits together before consecutive outs kept the GCU damage to a 7-0 lead.
Lopes sophomore right fielder Gunnar Penzkover smacked a leadoff double to right-center field after junior left fielder Trevor Schmidt already had ripped a first-inning double to set up the first-inning score.
Penzkover scored on a RBI sacrifice fly by former ASU player Camden Bates, the junior shortstop. Junior center fielder Cameron Griffin continued his hitting turnaround with a RBI single for a 3-0 lead. Griffin's second consecutive 2-for-4 game made him 10 for 23 over the past seven games after going 8 for 46 previously.
Junior third baseman Billy Scaldaferri's single and sophomore second baseman Jake Sanko's walk set up Schmidt to flex even more power. After a pitching change and a wild pitch scoring GCU's fourth run, Schmidt cranked a 360-foot home run over the left-field wall for a three-run home run and 7-0 lead.
"My first at bat, I was just going up there thinking that if this guy throws me a fastball away, I'm going to be on time," Schmidt said. "He threw me that fastball away that I wanted, and I hit it off the wall. I had the same approach. I thought, 'This guy's not going to want to throw me a slider. If he throws a fastball, I'm going to hit it hard.' He left it up, and I hit it over the fence. It's really good confidence going into this weekend, for sure."
It was Schmidt's fifth home run in 43 at bats this season, as the junior raised his batting average to .349 in his debut GCU season after an Arizona redshirt season and two Fullerton (Calif.) College season. When he had three at bats in the first month of this season, Schmidt credited GCU coaches for helping him to "do everything to be ready that I could.'
"He's one of the better ones on the team with intent, focus and preparation," Bannister said of Schmidt. "He's always in the cages early. His BP has a purpose behind it. He's preparing his butt off, and it's showing when the lights are on.
"He's playing tremendous. When he gets his pitch, he's on time and ready to hit. He's making the pitcher make good pitches to get him out. When the pitcher makes mistakes, he's taking advantage of it."
The Arizona home run brigade began chipping away at the lead with two third-inning blasts that trimmed the GCU lead to 7-3. Lopes senior Elijah Higginbottom escaped a bases-loaded jam in the fourth inning and used junior first baseman Cannon Peery starting a 3-6-3 double play to limit ASU to one run in the fifth inning.
Cameron pulled a high 3-1 pitch 359 feet for a leadoff home run for an 8-4 GCU lead, but the Lopes struck out twice and grounded out with a runner in scoring position to let ASU off the hook.
The Sun Devils' second two-homer inning gave them their first lead at 10-8 in the seventh. Despite graduate right-hander Jacob Limas striking out four consecutive batter, he walked ASU's ninth-inning leadoff batter for GCU's fourth walk-homer allowed sequence of the game and a more comfortable 12-8 lead.
After winning a weekend series at Fresno State, the Lopes resume Mountain West play against UNLV this weekend with 6 p.m. games Friday and Saturday games a noon Sunday finale at GCU Ballpark.
"The last couple series, they're starting to chip away," Bannister said. "They're starting to string together at bats and string together plays in the field and good pitches all around. We're starting to turn the corner.
"The boys are ready to compete. They've shown what they're capable of. We've just got to string nine innings together and play team baseball for nine innings. The offense can't go off, and then the pitching doesn't back it up. We've got to hang zeroes on the pitching and defense side and have the offense throw jabs and get the runners going."
With 2,252 fans at GCU Ballpark, the Lopes held their largest lead (7-0) since Opening Night and posted their biggest scoring inning of the season (a six-run second inning) before No. 20 Arizona State's offensive machine powered its largest comeback of the season. The Sun Devils matched a season high with six home runs and used 10 walks to turn a 7-0 hole into a 12-8 victory.
ASU (24-9) did not take its first lead until it also posted a six-run inning in the seventh, when D1Baseball Midseason Top Hitter honoree Landon Hairston broke an 8-8 tie with his 19th home run of the season on a 3-2 pitch. GCU pitchers had held Hairston, who hits .451, to an 0-for-4 night until the two-run blast came two batters after a game-tying grand slam by catcher Coen Niclai, who hit two of ASU's six home runs after having two home runs previously this season.The Lopes (11-22) had not allowed more than three home runs in a game this season, but ASU backed up its national No. 5 batting average and No. 8 slugging percentage with a six-home run game. Four of the homers followed a walk in a four-run game.
It was the GCU pitching staff's third 10-walk game of the season after not having one since 2022.
"When you were facing a good offense like that, you can't give them free bases," Lopes interim head coach Nathan Bannister said. "Then they capitalize. If they're going to beat you, make it a solo shot. If we're adding free bases in front of that, that's where the crooked numbers come.
"It took them seven innings to really get back into the game. A couple crooked numbers gave them a chance to win. We had a six-spot of our own. The boys were full of energy. They were competing hard. Just that one inning got away from us."
In a six-pitcher game, GCU freshman left-hander Cody Kiemele opened with two shutout innings despite walking four to give the Lopes a chance to burst ahead. The early surge began subtly with junior Cannon Peery's RBI sacrifice fly in the first inning, but the Lopes scored six runs in the second inning with one out and then put two more hits together before consecutive outs kept the GCU damage to a 7-0 lead.Lopes sophomore right fielder Gunnar Penzkover smacked a leadoff double to right-center field after junior left fielder Trevor Schmidt already had ripped a first-inning double to set up the first-inning score.
Penzkover scored on a RBI sacrifice fly by former ASU player Camden Bates, the junior shortstop. Junior center fielder Cameron Griffin continued his hitting turnaround with a RBI single for a 3-0 lead. Griffin's second consecutive 2-for-4 game made him 10 for 23 over the past seven games after going 8 for 46 previously.
Junior third baseman Billy Scaldaferri's single and sophomore second baseman Jake Sanko's walk set up Schmidt to flex even more power. After a pitching change and a wild pitch scoring GCU's fourth run, Schmidt cranked a 360-foot home run over the left-field wall for a three-run home run and 7-0 lead.
"My first at bat, I was just going up there thinking that if this guy throws me a fastball away, I'm going to be on time," Schmidt said. "He threw me that fastball away that I wanted, and I hit it off the wall. I had the same approach. I thought, 'This guy's not going to want to throw me a slider. If he throws a fastball, I'm going to hit it hard.' He left it up, and I hit it over the fence. It's really good confidence going into this weekend, for sure."
It was Schmidt's fifth home run in 43 at bats this season, as the junior raised his batting average to .349 in his debut GCU season after an Arizona redshirt season and two Fullerton (Calif.) College season. When he had three at bats in the first month of this season, Schmidt credited GCU coaches for helping him to "do everything to be ready that I could.'"He's one of the better ones on the team with intent, focus and preparation," Bannister said of Schmidt. "He's always in the cages early. His BP has a purpose behind it. He's preparing his butt off, and it's showing when the lights are on.
"He's playing tremendous. When he gets his pitch, he's on time and ready to hit. He's making the pitcher make good pitches to get him out. When the pitcher makes mistakes, he's taking advantage of it."
The Arizona home run brigade began chipping away at the lead with two third-inning blasts that trimmed the GCU lead to 7-3. Lopes senior Elijah Higginbottom escaped a bases-loaded jam in the fourth inning and used junior first baseman Cannon Peery starting a 3-6-3 double play to limit ASU to one run in the fifth inning.
Cameron pulled a high 3-1 pitch 359 feet for a leadoff home run for an 8-4 GCU lead, but the Lopes struck out twice and grounded out with a runner in scoring position to let ASU off the hook.
The Sun Devils' second two-homer inning gave them their first lead at 10-8 in the seventh. Despite graduate right-hander Jacob Limas striking out four consecutive batter, he walked ASU's ninth-inning leadoff batter for GCU's fourth walk-homer allowed sequence of the game and a more comfortable 12-8 lead.
After winning a weekend series at Fresno State, the Lopes resume Mountain West play against UNLV this weekend with 6 p.m. games Friday and Saturday games a noon Sunday finale at GCU Ballpark.
"The last couple series, they're starting to chip away," Bannister said. "They're starting to string together at bats and string together plays in the field and good pitches all around. We're starting to turn the corner.
"The boys are ready to compete. They've shown what they're capable of. We've just got to string nine innings together and play team baseball for nine innings. The offense can't go off, and then the pitching doesn't back it up. We've got to hang zeroes on the pitching and defense side and have the offense throw jabs and get the runners going."
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Guy, Colby (1-0)
L: Smith, Jace (0-1)
S: Overbay, Alex (1)
Batting:
2B: Polk, Matt 1
HR: Hairston, Landon 1 ; Moutzouridis, PJ 1 ; Niclai, Coen 2 ; Smaldino, Dominic 1 ; Toigo, Dean 1
RBI: Hairston, Landon 2 ; Moutzouridis, PJ 2 ; Niclai, Coen 5 ; Smaldino, Dominic 2 ; Toigo, Dean 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Zavorek, Beckett 1 ; Hairston, Landon 2 ; Polk, Matt 2 ; Moutzouridis, PJ 1 ; Niclai, Coen 2 ; Smaldino, Dominic 2 ; Michel, Garrett 1 ; Toigo, Dean 1
SB: Longo, Dominic 1
HBP: Polk, Matt 2
Batting:
2B: Schmidt, Trevor 1 ; Penzkover, Gunnar 1 ; Peery, Cannon 1
HR: Schmidt, Trevor 1 ; Cameron, Griffin 1
RBI: Schmidt, Trevor 3 ; Cameron, Griffin 2 ; Peery, Cannon 1 ; Bates, Camden 1
SF: Peery, Cannon 1 ; Bates, Camden 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Schmidt, Trevor 1 ; Sanko, Jake 2 ; Scaldeferri, Billy 1 ; Cameron, Griffin 2 ; Penzkover, Gunnar 1 ; Chacon, Dominic 1
SB: Scaldeferri, Billy 1 ; Peery, Cannon 1 ; Chacon, Dominic 1
Game Leaders
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
3
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
2
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball1B
/ Baseball
RHP/OF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball1B/OF
/ BaseballFired up! Frey celebrates complete game shutout #collegebaseball
Saturday, April 04
GCU Baseball at Fresno State (Game 1) - Highlights
Friday, April 03
TWO grand slams. ONE game. #collegebaseball
Tuesday, March 31
GCU Baseball vs. San Diego State (Game 2) - Cameron, Sanko grand slams
Sunday, March 29