Completed Event: Baseball versus BYU on April 27, 2026 , Win , 10, to, 3
Baseball
vs BYU
W 10-3
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Friday, May 1
Excite Ballpark • San José, Calif.
6 p.m.
Grand Canyon
16-27, 0
3
at
8
San José State
19-24, 0
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Canyon | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 1 |
| San Jose State | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | X | 8 | 8 | 1 |
Photo by: Josh Hauser
Johns’ homer highlights Lopes’ series-opening loss
5/1/2026 9:53:00 PM | Baseball
GCU gets late offense from bottom of order but falls 8-3 at San José State
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Grand Canyon got a late spark from freshman Tanner Johns, but San José State used three home runs to take Friday night's series opener 8-3 at Excite Ballpark.
Johns provided the biggest swing of the night for GCU (16-27, 6-10 MW), launching his second home run of the season to lead off the eighth inning. The left fielder jumped on the first pitch of the at bat and drove it opposite field over the left-field wall, cutting into the Spartans' lead and giving the Lopes a late lift.
GCU built on the momentum, adding two more hits and netting a run to narrow the deficit to 6-3 in the eighth. Junior shortstop Camden Bates doubled to left field on a ball lost in the lights, and junior center fielder Griffin Cameron followed with an RBI single up the middle to score Bates. San José State (19-24, 6-10 MW) turned an inning-ending double play to stunt the Lopes' rally.
Facing an early 3-0 deficit, GCU scored its first run in the fourth inning after sophomore second baseman Jake Sanko singled to left-center and moved to third when junior designated hitter Trevor Schmidt reached on an error. Junior first baseman Cannon Peery followed by putting the ball in play, reaching on a fielder's choice that brought Sanko home for the Lopes' first run.
San José State (19-24, 6-10 MW) did most of its damage with the long ball. Jake McCoy hit a two-run homer in the third, JC Osorio-Agard added a three-run homer in the fifth and Rocco Caballero delivered a two-run shot in the eighth to stretch the Spartans' lead back to five.
Senior right-hander Elijah Higginbottom gave GCU a steady stretch after entering in the fifth inning. He inherited a runner with one out after San José State's three-run homer and immediately limited further damage with a strikeout and popout. He followed with scoreless sixth and seventh innings before the Spartans broke through with a two-run eighth to lead 8-3.
GCU was held to six hits and did not draw a walk against San José State starter Michael Thomas, who threw a complete game. Sanko led the Lopes with two hits, while Johns, Bates, Cameron and Peery accounted for the rest of the offense.
The Lopes will look to even the Mountain West series Saturday at 2 p.m.
Johns provided the biggest swing of the night for GCU (16-27, 6-10 MW), launching his second home run of the season to lead off the eighth inning. The left fielder jumped on the first pitch of the at bat and drove it opposite field over the left-field wall, cutting into the Spartans' lead and giving the Lopes a late lift.
GCU built on the momentum, adding two more hits and netting a run to narrow the deficit to 6-3 in the eighth. Junior shortstop Camden Bates doubled to left field on a ball lost in the lights, and junior center fielder Griffin Cameron followed with an RBI single up the middle to score Bates. San José State (19-24, 6-10 MW) turned an inning-ending double play to stunt the Lopes' rally.
Facing an early 3-0 deficit, GCU scored its first run in the fourth inning after sophomore second baseman Jake Sanko singled to left-center and moved to third when junior designated hitter Trevor Schmidt reached on an error. Junior first baseman Cannon Peery followed by putting the ball in play, reaching on a fielder's choice that brought Sanko home for the Lopes' first run.
San José State (19-24, 6-10 MW) did most of its damage with the long ball. Jake McCoy hit a two-run homer in the third, JC Osorio-Agard added a three-run homer in the fifth and Rocco Caballero delivered a two-run shot in the eighth to stretch the Spartans' lead back to five.
Senior right-hander Elijah Higginbottom gave GCU a steady stretch after entering in the fifth inning. He inherited a runner with one out after San José State's three-run homer and immediately limited further damage with a strikeout and popout. He followed with scoreless sixth and seventh innings before the Spartans broke through with a two-run eighth to lead 8-3.
GCU was held to six hits and did not draw a walk against San José State starter Michael Thomas, who threw a complete game. Sanko led the Lopes with two hits, while Johns, Bates, Cameron and Peery accounted for the rest of the offense.
The Lopes will look to even the Mountain West series Saturday at 2 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: THOMAS, David (4-4)
L: Guerrero, JT (3-5)
Batting:
2B: Bates, Camden 1
HR: Johns, Tanner 1
RBI: Peery, Cannon 1 ; Johns, Tanner 1 ; Cameron, Griffin 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Sanko, Jake 1 ; Johns, Tanner 1 ; Bates, Camden 1
CS: Sanko, Jake 1 ; Peery, Cannon 1
Batting:
2B: FERNANDES, Alex 1 ; ROWLES, Peyton 1
3B: FERNANDES, Alex 1
HR: MCCOY, Jake 1 ; OSORIO-AGARD, JC 1 ; CABALLERO, Rocco 1
RBI: MCCOY, Jake 3 ; OSORIO-AGARD, JC 3 ; CABALLERO, Rocco 2
SF: MCCOY, Jake 1
Base Running:
RUNS: FERNANDES, Alex 1 ; ROWLES, Peyton 2 ; MCCOY, Jake 2 ; OSORIO-AGARD, JC 1 ; JANSEN, Neil 1 ; CABALLERO, Rocco 1
HBP: KLEIN, Rohne 2 ; COTA, Brent 1 ; JANSEN, Neil 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball1B/OF
/ Baseball1B
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
1B/OF
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