Box Score
Utah Tech slugged four home runs on Sunday afternoon, but it was a late GCU grand slam that proved to be the Trailblazers' undoing, as they lost the final game of their WAC weekend series at Grand Canyon, 12-10, at the GCU Ballpark.
 
GCU ambushed the Trailblazers (9-30/4-14 WAC) with four two-out runs in the home first to put Utah Tech into an early hole.
 
The Blazers got up off the deck to scratch across single runs in each of the next two frames, which included a Shane Taylor solo homer with two outs in the third that cut the Lopes' lead in half.
 
However GCU (23-17/14-7 WAC) would clap right back with an Eli Paton three-run blast over the right field wall to extend to a 7-2 advantage.
 
Utah Tech snatched the momentum right back with three more solo home runs, starting with a Zach Thomas opposite field shot to right in the fourth inning. Then in the fifth, Mathew Ivancich clubbed his first home run of the season to lead off the frame.
 
Taylor then followed suit two batters later with his second homer of the game, and his sixth of the season, that again pulled Utah Tech to within two runs at 7-5.
 
Meanwhile, junior righthander Ryan Hardman (ND), who came on relief of starter Carson Angeroth (ND), held the Lopes to just two hits through his first four-plus innings of work.
 
After being held in check for most of the series, the Utah Tech offense finally managed to put together a big inning, which came in a four-run eighth inning that vaulted the Blazers to a 9-7 lead.
 
Parker Schmidt doubled to lead off the stanza, then after a Tyson Fisher single put runners on the corners, Garrett Cutting singled home Schmidt carrying the first run of the rally.
 
The Trailblazers then loaded the bases on a GCU error and would plate their second run on a Chase Rodriguez sacrifice fly out to right field. The Lopes then committed their second error of the inning when an errant throw allowed the go-ahead run to score and moved Ivancich, who reached on the first Lope miscue, to second base.
 
Jack Walker followed that with a sharp single to center to plate Ivancich to stretch the Blazer lead to two runs.
 
However that lead would be short-lived as GCU answered with five runs in the home eighth, with the big blow coming off the bat of shortstop Jacob Wilson, who connected for his second grand slam home run in as many games to give the Lopes the lead back at 12-9.
 
Utah Tech mounted on final push in the ninth, loading the bases with two outs ahead of Ivancich, who hit a bounding ball past Wilson to drive in a run and make a three-run game.
 
Unfortunately that would the last hit of the game as GCU reliever Bryan Webb (S, 2) slammed the door on a possible Blazer comeback as he induced a Rodriguez ground out to end the game. 
 
For the second-straight game, the Trailblazers outhit the Lopes, this time by a 14-11 count. After seeing his career-long 18-game hit streak get snapped on Saturday night, Taylor came back with those two solo homers as part of a 2-for-4 effort with a walk.
 
Ivancich led Utah Tech with a season-high three hits to go with his two RBI and two runs scored, while Schmidt, Thomas and Cutting also collected two hits apiece as nine different Trailblazers had at least one hit on the day. 
 
Utah Tech returns home for a four-game homestand against two in-state rivals, beginning with a Tuesday midweek match-up against Utah. First pitch at Bruce Hurst Field is set for 4:05 p.m.