STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Tarleton was bested by the Grand Canyon Lopes in both games of a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon, 16-7 and 8-5, at the Tarleton Baseball Complex.
 
Tarleton (23-21, 7-14 WAC) first baseman Jack Wagner had a spectacular day at the plate, finishing with four hits, three home runs, seven RBI and three runs scored.
 
Grand Canyon (29-19, 16-7 WAC) struck first in both games, scoring multiple runs in the first innings, putting the Texans in a hole from the start.
 
Game 1: Grand Canyon 16, Tarleton 7
GCU got to Tarleton starting pitcher Hunter Day (L, 5-2) immediately, plating four runs off three hits in the first inning.
 
Tarleton answered with three runs of its own in the bottom half of the first to stay in the game as Jack Wagner launched a three-run home run to left center field.
 
The Texans got on the board again in the sixth inning, scoring three runs on four hits to cut the GCU lead to 7-6. Wagner once again hit a home run, this one a two-run shot to left field that scored Trace Morrison. Mason Crews brought in the other run on an RBI single to left field.
 
The Texans brought the game within a run but were unable to keep GCU off the bases as the Lopes plated nine runs over the final three frames to claim the series opening win.
 
GCU's Daniel Avitia (W, 6-1) picked up the win as he tossed 5.2 innings allowing six runs, striking out seven and walking one.
 
Game 2: Grand Canyon 8, Tarleton 5
The Texans found themselves in an early hole again in game two as GCU scored two runs in the first inning.
 
Tarleton cut it to 2-1 in the bottom of the first when Cris Enriquez sent a ball through the right side of the Lope defense to score Morrison.
 
Both teams were scoreless over the next three innings. Tarleton starting pitcher Dylan Delvecchio (L, 2-4) struck out five in that span. He threw 5.0 innings allowing five runs on nine hits, striking out six and walking one.
 
Delvecchio came out to pitch the sixth but the first two GCU batters doubled and walked. The Texans made the move to Isiah Campa on the mound but the Lopes Homer Bush Jr. tripled to right field to clear the bases and put GCU up 6-1.
 
Tarleton brought home two runs each in the eighth and ninth to trim the deficit, but it was too little to late.
 
Jack Wagner hit his third home run of the day and 15th of the season in the eighth inning, a two-run home run to make it an 8-3 game.
 
In the ninth, Jake Escalon got a pinch-hit opportunity and made the most of it with a two-run home run to left center field, his second of the season. The home run made it 8-5 but Tarleton could not push home any more runs.
 
NEXT UP
The Texans will look to salvage the series and avoid a sweep on Sunday with first pitch on ESPN+ set for 1 p.m. CT