It's been a balanced offensive attack.
 
But it couldn't get them here without the guys on the mound.
 
Needing another powerful pitching performance to avoid elimination, the Grand Canyon University Club Baseball team got exactly that from Connor Bates as it knocked off top-seeded East Carolina University, 6-2, Tuesday afternoon at the National Club Baseball Association Division 1 World Series in Alton, Illinois. The win was the Lopes' third in four games at the tournament and set up a 'win or go home' elimination semifinal tomorrow between the same two teams. Wednesday's winner will advance to Thursday's championship round.
 
Because of GCU's lone loss in the tournament – a weather-marred, seven-hour 16-13 marathon won by 6^th-seeded Penn State University Sunday night – the pitching rotation normally utilized by Lopes' Head Coach Rich Warnol had been rearranged. Bates – the normal second starter throughout the season – was forced into relief on Sunday and wound up tagged with the loss. The hidden blessing in that – especially after the combination of Sam Ott and Gordon Wend produced a 2-0 shutout yesterday to save the other pitching arms – was that Bates had more left in the tank than he normally would have. The Saugus, California native proved it on a national stage Tuesday, allowing an unearned run in the 1^st inning, then making only one mistake over the next seven innings. By the time that 'mistake' happened – a solo homer by ECU's Zach Nicholson over the left-field fence in the 6^th – Bates' teammates had staked him to a comfortable lead.
 
While Pirates' starter Dillon Aldridge allowed just one hit through the first three innings, he threw 53 pitches, and the 7^th-seeded Lopes (22-13 overall, 12-3 SoPac South) started to figure him out as he wore down. Two hard base hits to right field by Brady Steenson and Rhys Davis plated two Lopes' runs in the 4^th inning, then seven straight Lopes' hitters reached base to start the 5^th, resulting in three more runs, a 5-1 GCU edge and Aldridge's exit. While Pirates' reliever Will Atkins allowed just a hit and a run (a 9^th-inning RBI single from Ott to score Kyo Ohsato) in the ensuing four innings, the damage was already done.
 
"Connor was asking for the ball today and just dominated," said Warnol. "He threw extremely well early, and as the game wore on, he wasn't throwing as hard, but kept throwing strikes. He was really in a zone, and our hitters coming back and getting that 5-1 lead allowed him to just go after their hitters. We were checking on him before the 7^th, but he went out and made that a quick inning, so he earned the right to pitch the 8^th."
 
Bates' 100^th pitch led off the 8^th inning, but he threw 19 more and STILL retired the side in order before leaving. Lopes' closer Tyler Soren finished off the five-hitter with a hitless 9^th inning to hand the Pirates only their 3^rd loss of the season. Eight of the nine Lopes' hitters had at least one hit, with Steenson leading the way with a double, single, run scored and a run batted in.
 
Standing in the way of the Lopes' second appearance ever in the championship round are the Pirates, who are the only one of the top five seeds still standing in the eight-team tournament. First pitch for tomorrow's GCU-ECU matchup is scheduled for 12:45PM Arizona time, but will be moved to 5PM tomorrow night if Penn State eliminates upstart No. 8 seed Florida State University in their semifinal matchup later this evening.