Palm Springs, Calif. - Stanford squared off against #1 GCU in the first game of regional playoffs in a 6:00 game under the lights, with a trip to the winner's bracket on the line. Only one run separated GCU and the #5 Cardinal in a thrilling contest. In the end, GCU threw a combined no-hitter and survived a late Stanford rally to win 2-1.
As the sun lazily sunk into the majestic Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains, setting a beautiful scene for baseball, those in attendance at Palm Springs Stadium were treated to a fantastic pitcher's duel and an instant classic.
Grand Canyon opened their account in the bottom of the first inning after a leadoff triple down the line in right and a sacrifice fly made things 1-0. In the bottom of the fourth, the first two batters for the 'Lopes singled. After graduate backstop Caden Denning made a fantastic diving catch on a bunt attempt, a fielding error allowed GCU to double their advantage. The 2-0 scoreline persisted until the top of the seventh.
Down to their final three outs, Donnie Raymond worked a full count and walked to bring the tying run to the plate in the form of Jamie Baum. That spelt the end of the day for the 'Lopes' hurler after 81 pitches, who exited having surrendered zero hits, though responsible for Raymond on first. After a wild pitch, Baum grounded out to move Raymond to third. Sophomore Cooper Tenney walked to bring the go-ahead run to the plate. Then, the first pitch to right fielder Angel Piña got to the backstop, allowing Raymond to score and Tenney to reach second. Only trailing 2-1 and with the count 1-0, the decisionmakers in the Grand Canyon dugout decided to yank their reliever - a quick hook. On a 2-0 pitch, Piña struck a sharp line drive to the right-center gap, but the Antelope right-fielder was able to make a play on it. Down to their final out, first baseman Joseph Seddon worked a nailbiting nine-pitch walk complete with three foul balls, during which Tenney advanced to third on a wild pitch. With runners on the corners and two down, Grand Canyon was able to retire Dean Perry on strikes to strand the tying and go-ahead runs and triumph 2-1.
On the mound, graduate Donnie Raymond turned in a fantastic effort. The right-hander surrendered two runs (one earned) while scattering seven hits and one walk, and striking out one over six strong innings. The Cardinal couldn't get much going at the plate in the face of a stifling GCU pitching performance. Only five baserunners reached - four via the walk and one hit batsman.
The win extends Grand Canyon's perfect season to 16-0. They'll face the #4 Santa Clara Broncos, who won 10-0 in five innings over Southern Utah University, tomorrow morning at 10:00 AM. The loss takes Stanford to 17-5. The Cardinal will face the Southern Utah Thunderbirds tomorrow, May 2, at 1:00 in an elimination game. Joseph Seddon will take the mound for Stanford with their backs against the wall. All competitions will be held at Palm Springs Stadium.
