Canceled Event: Baseball at Oregon
Baseball
at Oregon
Canceled
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Friday, May 15
Don Weir Field at Peccole Park • Reno, Nev.
6 p.m.
Grand Canyon
20-30, 10-13
12
at
7
Nevada
24-25, 13-10
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GCU | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 13 | 0 |
| Nevada | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 11 | 0 |
Photo by: Josh Hauser
Ahern steadies Lopes to keep postseason hopes alive
5/15/2026 9:56:00 PM | Baseball
GCU scores in 7 innings, needs win and help on final day to reach MW Championship
RENO, Nev. — Grand Canyon's season needed saving Friday night, and junior right-hander Garrett Ahern was willing to trade a scheduled start for six stabilizing innings of relief.
Ahern entered in the fourth inning after Nevada had erased GCU's early lead, and the Lopes responded behind his elite relief outing and a relentless offense to beat the Wolf Pack 12-7 at Don Weir Field at Peccole Park. The win kept GCU (20-30, 10-13 MW) alive entering the final day of the regular season, with a narrow path still remaining to the Mountain West Championship.
The Lopes need to beat Nevada on Saturday, while also needing San José State to lose to Fresno State and UNLV to lose to San Diego State. GCU entered Friday needing to finish one game ahead of both teams because UNLV and San José State hold head-to-head tiebreakers over the Lopes.
"I told them before this weekend that looking at our total season, if you would have expected us to be here on the final day, the final weekend, we would take that," GCU interim head coach Nathan Bannister said. "So we've been playing like it's Game 7 and tomorrow is truly a Game 7. All we can do is control how we play and what we can do on the field. So hopefully we take care of business and then we get the help that we need."
Ahern was originally lined up to start Saturday's regular-season finale, but GCU did not have the luxury of saving him. Nevada scored three runs in the second and four in the third to turn the Lopes' 5-0 lead into a 7-5 deficit, creating a do-or-die moment one day early.
Ahern answered it. He threw six scoreless innings, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out six on 84 pitches. After entering with GCU trailing by one, he kept Nevada scoreless from the fourth inning on and gave the Lopes' offense time to reclaim control.
"Obviously, we punched first and then they threw a couple haymakers in Innings 2 and 3," Bannister said. "For us, it's Game 7. So we got to go to our best guy. And we thought he was ready to go and he wanted the ball. He told me before the game that he was ready to go, even though he was slated to start tomorrow for us. If we didn't win, we would be done. So we wanted to go with our best option and he held it down for six innings. Kudos to him giving us another chance at it tomorrow."
The Lopes helped Ahern by continuing to score. GCU plated runs in seven of nine innings, including each of the final five frames, and finished with 13 hits, four extra-base hits and 12 RBIs. It marked the fifth straight game in which GCU outhit its opponent.
Senior designated hitter Trevor Schmidt delivered the swing that changed the night in the sixth inning. With GCU trailing 7-6, junior shortstop Camden Bates was hit by a pitch and graduate catcher Mito Perez singled to put runners on the corners. Schmidt followed with a three-run homer to right-center, giving the Lopes a 9-7 lead and igniting a late-game power surge.
Schmidt's 11th home run of the season came two games after he became GCU's first player to reach double-digit homers this year. Freshman right fielder Tanner Johns added a solo homer in the eighth, his fifth of the season and fourth in May. Senior second baseman Vince Bianchina capped GCU's scoring with a solo homer in the ninth, his second of the year.
GCU wasted little time building its early lead. Perez, Schmidt, junior first baseman Cannon Peery and Johns opened the game with four straight hits, with Peery and Johns driving in runs before junior left fielder Carson Ohland added an RBI groundout for a 3-0 lead. In the second, Bates and sophomore center fielder Griffin Cameron singled before Perez drove in Bates and Schmidt brought home Cameron with a groundout to make it 5-0.
After Nevada's seven-run answer, the Lopes went back to work. Ohland tripled in the fifth and scored on a groundout by freshman third baseman Jose Lopez III to cut the deficit to 7-6. Schmidt's homer put GCU ahead in the sixth, and Cameron added a sacrifice fly in the seventh. Johns and Bianchina followed with solo homers in the eighth and ninth to stretch the lead.
"That's kudos to the offense," Bannister said. "I told them after the game we only had two innings where we put up zero runs. When they continue to jab and we keep the momentum in our dugout, then we go out there on defense and we pound the strike zone and we get leadoff outs and we are in good counts. That's baseball right there. So that's the formula. It's hard to execute, but we're up for the challenge."
Perez went 3 for 5 with a walk, two runs and an RBI from the leadoff spot, while Schmidt went 3 for 5 with four RBIs and two runs. Johns added two hits and two RBIs, and GCU played error-free defense after Thursday's series opener was decided in part by unearned runs.
The win gives GCU one more meaningful day. The Lopes close the regular season Saturday at 1 p.m. at Nevada, needing a win and help from San Diego State and Fresno State to extend their season into the Mountain West Championship.
Ahern entered in the fourth inning after Nevada had erased GCU's early lead, and the Lopes responded behind his elite relief outing and a relentless offense to beat the Wolf Pack 12-7 at Don Weir Field at Peccole Park. The win kept GCU (20-30, 10-13 MW) alive entering the final day of the regular season, with a narrow path still remaining to the Mountain West Championship.
The Lopes need to beat Nevada on Saturday, while also needing San José State to lose to Fresno State and UNLV to lose to San Diego State. GCU entered Friday needing to finish one game ahead of both teams because UNLV and San José State hold head-to-head tiebreakers over the Lopes.
"I told them before this weekend that looking at our total season, if you would have expected us to be here on the final day, the final weekend, we would take that," GCU interim head coach Nathan Bannister said. "So we've been playing like it's Game 7 and tomorrow is truly a Game 7. All we can do is control how we play and what we can do on the field. So hopefully we take care of business and then we get the help that we need."
Ahern was originally lined up to start Saturday's regular-season finale, but GCU did not have the luxury of saving him. Nevada scored three runs in the second and four in the third to turn the Lopes' 5-0 lead into a 7-5 deficit, creating a do-or-die moment one day early.
Ahern answered it. He threw six scoreless innings, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out six on 84 pitches. After entering with GCU trailing by one, he kept Nevada scoreless from the fourth inning on and gave the Lopes' offense time to reclaim control.
"Obviously, we punched first and then they threw a couple haymakers in Innings 2 and 3," Bannister said. "For us, it's Game 7. So we got to go to our best guy. And we thought he was ready to go and he wanted the ball. He told me before the game that he was ready to go, even though he was slated to start tomorrow for us. If we didn't win, we would be done. So we wanted to go with our best option and he held it down for six innings. Kudos to him giving us another chance at it tomorrow."
The Lopes helped Ahern by continuing to score. GCU plated runs in seven of nine innings, including each of the final five frames, and finished with 13 hits, four extra-base hits and 12 RBIs. It marked the fifth straight game in which GCU outhit its opponent.
Senior designated hitter Trevor Schmidt delivered the swing that changed the night in the sixth inning. With GCU trailing 7-6, junior shortstop Camden Bates was hit by a pitch and graduate catcher Mito Perez singled to put runners on the corners. Schmidt followed with a three-run homer to right-center, giving the Lopes a 9-7 lead and igniting a late-game power surge.
Schmidt's 11th home run of the season came two games after he became GCU's first player to reach double-digit homers this year. Freshman right fielder Tanner Johns added a solo homer in the eighth, his fifth of the season and fourth in May. Senior second baseman Vince Bianchina capped GCU's scoring with a solo homer in the ninth, his second of the year.
GCU wasted little time building its early lead. Perez, Schmidt, junior first baseman Cannon Peery and Johns opened the game with four straight hits, with Peery and Johns driving in runs before junior left fielder Carson Ohland added an RBI groundout for a 3-0 lead. In the second, Bates and sophomore center fielder Griffin Cameron singled before Perez drove in Bates and Schmidt brought home Cameron with a groundout to make it 5-0.
After Nevada's seven-run answer, the Lopes went back to work. Ohland tripled in the fifth and scored on a groundout by freshman third baseman Jose Lopez III to cut the deficit to 7-6. Schmidt's homer put GCU ahead in the sixth, and Cameron added a sacrifice fly in the seventh. Johns and Bianchina followed with solo homers in the eighth and ninth to stretch the lead.
"That's kudos to the offense," Bannister said. "I told them after the game we only had two innings where we put up zero runs. When they continue to jab and we keep the momentum in our dugout, then we go out there on defense and we pound the strike zone and we get leadoff outs and we are in good counts. That's baseball right there. So that's the formula. It's hard to execute, but we're up for the challenge."
Perez went 3 for 5 with a walk, two runs and an RBI from the leadoff spot, while Schmidt went 3 for 5 with four RBIs and two runs. Johns added two hits and two RBIs, and GCU played error-free defense after Thursday's series opener was decided in part by unearned runs.
The win gives GCU one more meaningful day. The Lopes close the regular season Saturday at 1 p.m. at Nevada, needing a win and help from San Diego State and Fresno State to extend their season into the Mountain West Championship.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Ahern, Garrett (2-3)
L: Giacomini, Jordan (3-4)
Batting:
3B: Ohland, Carson 1
HR: Schmidt, Trevor 1 ; Bianchina, Vince 1 ; Johns, Tanner 1
RBI: Ohland, Carson 1 ; Peery, Cannon 1 ; Perez, Mito 1 ; Schmidt, Trevor 4 ; Cameron, Griffin 1 ; Bianchina, Vince 1 ; Johns, Tanner 2 ; Lopez III, Jose 1
SF: Cameron, Griffin 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Ohland, Carson 2 ; Peery, Cannon 1 ; Perez, Mito 2 ; Schmidt, Trevor 2 ; Cameron, Griffin 1 ; Bianchina, Vince 1 ; Bates, Camden 2 ; Johns, Tanner 1
HBP: Ohland, Carson 1 ; Peery, Cannon 1 ; Bates, Camden 1
Batting:
HR: Kwon, Junhyuk 1 ; Waller, Jackson 1 ; Doyle, Jacob 1
RBI: Kwon, Junhyuk 2 ; Waller, Jackson 2 ; Doyle, Jacob 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Kwon, Junhyuk 2 ; Yamaguchi, Sean 2 ; Waller, Jackson 2 ; Doyle, Jacob 1
SB: Dobie, Jayce 1
HBP: Quiban, Rominic 1
Players Mentioned
RHP
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INF
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OF
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1B/OF
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3B/C
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1B
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1B/OF
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