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Alec Daily RM01
Rick May

Baseball

`Runners Host WAC-Leading Grand Canyon

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - The CSU Bakersfield baseball team will host the Western Athletic Conference leaders Grand Canyon University this weekend at Hardt Field.  The Roadrunners are more than halfway through the conference slate and are currently tied for fifth place.  The top six teams in the WAC qualify for the league tournament at the end of the month and CSUB must close the season strong to ensure a bid.  

Series History
The Lopes have dominated the 12-game series between the two teams, winning 10 times including the last eight games.  Grand Canyon swept the three-game regular season series from CSUB in each of the last two seasons.  CSUB last beat the Lopes in the series opener in 2015.  

Last season in Phoenix, Friday's starter Jake Wong tossed seven innings and gave up two runs, but did not receive a decision.  Andrew Penner and Jake Ortega both singled and walked and Mark Pena doubled in the series-opening 3-2 defeat.  In Game 2, Isaiah Moten took the loss after allowing four runs in 3.2 innings pitched.  Pena and Penner both had a pair of hits, but the `Runners fell 7-4.  The Lopes also took the finale 8-3.  Naithen Dewsnap tossed a scoreless inning and Isaac Meza didn't allow an earned run in his only inning of work.  Penner, Austyn Tengan and Cole Valletta all had base hits.  

Scouting the Lopes
The Lopes enter Hardt Field at a conference-best 12-3 in the WAC standings.  Grand Canyon is exactly where they were picked to be as they topped the WAC Preseason Poll after garnering five of nine first-place votes.  First baseman Ian Evans and second baseman Austin Bull were picked to the Preseason All-WAC team as was starting pitcher Jake Wong.  GCU beat No. 7 Texas Christian University earlier this season and owns victories over Cal Poly and CSUN.  The Lopes also took two games from UNLV and the University of Illinois.  In WAC play, GCU has swept Utah Valley University and Chicago State University, while taking 2-out-of-3 from the University of Northern Colorado, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and New Mexico State University.  

Pitching Matchups
CSUB GCU
Friday RHP Alec Daily (4-1, 3.64 ERA) RHP Jake Wong (7-1, 2.24 ERA)
Saturday RHP Naithen Dewsnap (2-5, 4.03 ERA) LHP Jake Repavich (2-4, 7.35 ERA)
Sunday TBA LHP Ethan Evanko (3-1, 3.64 ERA)

Runs should be hard to come by tomorrow night as Daily and Wong are two of the top pitchers in the WAC.  CSUB has won four of Daily's five conference starts.  The senior gave up eight hits and walked four in his last start at Seattle U, but battled to keep the `Runners within striking distance.  Daily leads CSUB with a 3.64 ERA and has struck out a team-best 43 batters.  Opponents are hitting just .224 off of him.  Wong has been dominant at times this season.  He hasn't been beaten since March 16 at Cal State Fullerton and has won five of his last six starts.  The junior has struck out 63 batters in 64.1 innings pitched.  

Dewsnap remains in the starting rotation for CSUB.  After a rocky first inning in his last start, Dewsnap settled in and tossed four scoreless innings.  The closer turned starter has struck out 42 batters in 44.2 innings pitched and has walked just 10 batters.  Repavich lasted just 3.1 innings against New Mexico State in his last start after giving up six runs on 10 hits.  This will be the senior's 12th start of the season and he has lasted over six innings just once.  He hasn't won a start since April 7 against Utah Valley.  

CSUB has yet to name a starter for Sunday's series finale.  Elijah Parks has thrown on Sunday for the last two conference series.  Ethan Evanko will go for GCU.  The Lopes have won the redshirt senior's last four starts and he has picked up the victory on three occasions.  It will be the seventh start of the season for Evanko.  

Team Comparison
CSUB GCU
RPI 215 161
Batting Average .255 .288
Scoring Average 4.5 6.3
On-Base Percentage .329 .362
Slugging Percentage .323 .387
Extra-Base Hits 67 106
Stolen Bases 33 58
ERA 5.65 4.91
WHIP 1.71 1.50
Strikeouts Per Nine 7.0 8.9
Fielding Percentage .952 .977

Category Leaders
CSUB GCU
Batting Average Penner .345 Cotton .370
Runs Penner 27 Cotton 42
On-Base Percentage Penner .420 Cotton .431
Slugging Percentage Martinez .457 Cotton .534
RBI Koch 25 Cotton 35
Extra-Base Hits Koch 14 Cotton 20
Stolen Bases Pena 5 Pavlica 11
Wins Daily 4 Wong 7
Innings Pitched Butler 45.0 Wong 64.1
ERA Daily 3.64 Wong 2.24
Strikeouts Daily 43 Wong 63

Last Time Out
CSU Bakersfield and UC Santa Barbara were all square at 4-4 after four innings of play at Hardt Field on Tuesday night, but the Gauchos scored five times over the next five frames to defeat the Roadrunner baseball team 9-5. 

CSUB got on the board early with a run in the first inning and three runs in the third, but each time the home team scored, the visitors evened the score in the next half inning.  Andrew Penner did most of the early damage as he hit a hot shot between the third baseman's legs to score Noah Barba in the first inning.  Penner struck again in the third as he doubled home Mark Pena with two away.  The next batter, Ryan Koch, continued the inning with a two-run single to right field and CSUB led 4-1. 

The Gauchos chased CSUB starter Isaiah Moten after two innings and three hits.  Davonte Butler relieved Moten in the third and after facing just three batters in his first inning, he allowed a three-run homer in the fourth to tie the score.  Aaron Charles (2-4) took the ball from Butler and gave up two runs in his first inning of work to take the loss. 

UCSB starter Luke Andrews (2-1) settled in after the third inning and at one point retired 10 straight Roadrunners.  He exited the game in the eighth after tossing 7.1 innings and allowing four earned runs and four hits. 

Penner and Barba did more damage in the eighth as Barba hit an infield single, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on Penner's single up the middle to cut the UCSB lead to 9-5.  The duo combined for four of CSUB's five hits, with Koch's two-run single being the other.  Barba also scored three of the `Runners five runs.  Catcher Jake Ortega walked twice and threw out two potential base stealers at second.  Steven Gee struck out two batters in the ninth to toss a scoreless inning. 
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Players Mentioned

Aaron Charles

#25 Aaron Charles

P/INF
6' 4"
Sophomore
R/R
Alec Daily

#5 Alec Daily

P/1B
6' 3"
Redshirt Senior
L/L
Naithen Dewsnap

#22 Naithen Dewsnap

P
6' 4"
Senior
R/R
Steven Gee

#37 Steven Gee

P
6' 3"
Redshirt Senior
R/R
Isaac Meza

#34 Isaac Meza

P
6' 4"
Sophomore
R/R
Isaiah Moten

#28 Isaiah Moten

P
6' 1"
Junior
R/R
Jake Ortega

#33 Jake Ortega

C/INF
5' 10"
Junior
L/R
Mark Pena

#30 Mark Pena

OF
6' 1"
Redshirt Senior
R/L
Andrew Penner

#7 Andrew Penner

C/OF
5' 11"
Senior
R/R
Austyn Tengan

#12 Austyn Tengan

INF
5' 8"
Sophomore
L/R

Players Mentioned

Aaron Charles

#25 Aaron Charles

6' 4"
Sophomore
R/R
P/INF
Alec Daily

#5 Alec Daily

6' 3"
Redshirt Senior
L/L
P/1B
Naithen Dewsnap

#22 Naithen Dewsnap

6' 4"
Senior
R/R
P
Steven Gee

#37 Steven Gee

6' 3"
Redshirt Senior
R/R
P
Isaac Meza

#34 Isaac Meza

6' 4"
Sophomore
R/R
P
Isaiah Moten

#28 Isaiah Moten

6' 1"
Junior
R/R
P
Jake Ortega

#33 Jake Ortega

5' 10"
Junior
L/R
C/INF
Mark Pena

#30 Mark Pena

6' 1"
Redshirt Senior
R/L
OF
Andrew Penner

#7 Andrew Penner

5' 11"
Senior
R/R
C/OF
Austyn Tengan

#12 Austyn Tengan

5' 8"
Sophomore
L/R
INF
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