PHOENIX – Utah Valley baseball fell in the series finale, 10-4, to Grand Canyon on Sunday afternoon at Brazell Field at GCU Ballpark. Landon Frei launched his fourth homer of the week with Jimmy De Anda adding a solo shot for the UVU (24-12, 9-3) offense with four players recording multi-hit games. GCU (22-13, 9-3) used a steady offensive attack to pull away late from the Wolverines.
 
Utah Valley threatened with runners on base in the first two innings, including runners on first and second after singles by Jimmy De Anda and Dominic Longo II before a double play ended the inning. In the second, Nate Bach reached with a single to left field, but he was stranded by GCU starter Elijah Higginbottom (4-0), who would go on to get the win after tossing five innings.
 
The Lopes pushed their first run across in the third against UVU starter Jacob Heppner to take a 1-0 lead. Heppner was tough on Lopes hitters, retiring the first six hitters mostly on popouts and flyouts.
 
The Wolverines evened the score at 1-1 with Frei's two-out home run over the netting in left field. It was his third of the series and fourth in the calendar week. He is now tied for the team lead with ten big flies this season. GCU did not waste much time regaining the lead, taking a 2-1 lead at the bottom of the fourth inning on a sac fly from Cannon Peery.
 
In the top of the sixth inning, Utah Valley once again tied the game up at two with a solo shot to left field from De Anda. UVU put the leading run in scoring position after a double from Longo II to chase Higginbottom from the game. GCU turned to closer Walter Quinn, who walked the first two hitters he faced but kept the Wolverines off the board.
 
Heppner finished with 5 1/3 innings with six hits and three earned runs while having four strikeouts. The Lopes took a 3-2 lead, and Wayland Crane came on in relief to get the final two outs of the sixth.
 
The Wolverines threatened again in the seventh inning after DJ Massey worked a six pitch walk before a pitch hit Luke Iverson to put two runners on and the tying run in scoring position. UVU was not able to plate a run after a fly and a foul out. GCU tacked on three runs and four runs in the eighth inning to take a 10-2 lead into the ninth inning.
 
The Utah Valley bench made some noise in the ninth inning against Quinn, starting with a one-out walk to Landon Zaborowski before Kevin Parker Jr., and Joseph Barnhardt both singled to left field to load the bases. They would push a run across on a walk to Longo II to make it 10-3, and Strong singled to left field to make it 10-4.
 
UP NEXT
Utah Valley will play its next nine games in Utah, starting with the Crosstown Clash on Tuesday, Apr. 15 at 6:00 p.m. MT from Larry H. Miller Field in Provo. UVU will host Tarleton State in a three-game WAC series, starting on Thursday, Apr. 17 at 6:05 p.m. MT from UCCU Ballpark.