BOX SCORE Grand Canyon 8, #23 Sonoma State 7 -- Box Score | Archived Video Broadcast
Post-Game Press Conference
ST. GEORGE, Utah -- Never give up. The end to Saturday night's elimination game was proof as to why one should never do so. Highlighted by
Wesley Wallace's pinch-hit three-run home run in a four-run top of the ninth inning, the Sonoma State baseball team was just one base from completing an epic rally to tie the game, but Grand Canyon's Mark Jarrett stopped the bleeding and got the elusive 27th out as the Antelopes held on by a thread to beat the Seawolves, 8-7, after a wild finish at the NCAA Division II West Regional on Saturday night in St. George, Utah.
Sonoma State, the No. 2 seed in the regional tournament and the 23rd-ranked team in the nation, sees its season come to an end with a record of 36-22 -- it is the fifth time in seven years that SSU has recorded 35 or more wins. No. 4 seed Grand Canyon (37-17) advances to play No. 6 seed Chico State on Championship Sunday for the right to move on to the Division II World Series in Cary, North Carolina.
With a narrow 4-3 lead in the bottom of the eighth inning, Grand Canyon began to distance itself from Sonoma State with four insurance runs that eventually became huge.
Taylor Herbert, who came on for starter
Ian Ocon in the fourth, kept the Seawolves within striking distance for much of his four-plus innings of work until he gave up two singles, a hit by pitch and two walks to start the eighth frame. Two outs would follow, but GCU's Paul Panaccione brought home two runs on a single up the middle to give the 'Lopes a large 8-3 lead with three defensive outs away from moving onto the regional championship game. Panaccione's single chased Herbert from the game and
Austin Wiggins came in to induce an inning-ending fly out.
Jarrett, who took over for reliever Brandon Bonilla in the seventh, got an immediate out to start the top of the ninth, but what happened next is almost unexplainable.
Scott Templeton drew a pinch-hit walk, stole second, then scored on a pinch-hit RBI single by
Jeffrey Boulware.
Jackson Stogner followed with a base hit, putting two runners on for the pinch-hitter Wallace, who came into the at bat with just two hits in 22 career at bats at Sonoma State for the junior transfer. On the second pitch he saw, Wallace delivered a moonshot to left field, a no-doubter that cleared the left field fence, and then some, to get the Seawolves within one run at 8-7 and still just one out in the inning.
A strikeout followed the home run, but with the momentum entirely in SSU's possession,
Garrett Schwartz and
Garrett Gooselaw followed with back-to-back two-out singles, placing the tying run in scoring position and the go-ahead run on first. However, Jarrett came back from a 3-1 count to strikeout
Sam Montgomery for the final out of the inning and a sigh of relief as Grand Canyon held on for the win.
The Seawolves had their chances to extend their season early on, though, as Sonoma went 3 for 11 with runners in scoring position, grounded into four double plays and left seven others stranded. Herbert (3-5) was tagged with the loss after giving up the run in the bottom of the sixth -- a fielder's choice RBI that broke a 3-3 tie. He gave up five runs on six hits and three walks, striking out four. Ocon, who got the start, went three-and-a-thirds, scattering seven hits and allowing three runs (one earned). Schwartz led the team offensively, going 3 for 5 with two runs scored, in addition to Wallace's three-run shot in his only at bat of the night. Stogner, Zenn and Gooselaw all had two hits each.
For Grand Canyon, Bonilla (2-0) got the win despite giving up a run in his only inning of work. He took over for the starter, Malcolm Purdy, who tossed the first five frames, allowing two runs on six hits and a walk. Brandon Smith went 3 for 4 with an RBI and two runs scored while Panaccione, Derek Mendoza and Charles Wagner each recorded two hits apiece. The teams combined for 15 runs, 26 hits and four errors in the ballgame.
