Grand Canyon wins PacWest Little World Series opener

Box Score

St. GEORGE, UT - John Stanko went 4 for 4 with two runs scored and Kevin Burbank tossed a complete-game victory as Grand Canyon defeated Puerto Rico Mayaguez 8-4 in the opening game of the 2009 PacWest Little World Series on Wednesday in St. George, UT.

The victory propels the Antelopes into the winners bracket and a game vs. Hawaii Pacific on Thursday at 3 p.m.

The Antelopes pounded out 12 base hits in the victory, including two each from Jay Green and Joey Bristyan. Green was 2 for 3 with two runs scored, a triple, walk and an RBI, while Bristyan was 2 for 3 with a triple, run scored, RBI, and a walk.

Austin Stockfisch drove in a pair of runs for Grand Canyon.

Burbank struck out five in throwing all nine innings. He allowed three earned runs and walked just one.

Puerto Rico Mayaguez was led by Jose Huertas who smashed a two-run homer and finished the day with three RBI. Axel Acevedo went 2 for 3 with a walk and a double, while Pedro Vargas was 2 for 4 with two runs scored.

UPR-Mayaguez jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Vargas singled and scored on an infield groundout by Acevedo.

Grand Canyon tallied single runs in the second and third. Bristyan scored on a passed ball in the second and Green crossed the plate on a ground out after tripling.

Mayaguez grabbed the lead again on Huertas' two-run homer in the fifth, but the Antelopes countered with two runs in the home fifth on back-to-back RBI singles by Stockfisch and Matt Fox.

The lead jumped to 5-3 when Stanko scored on a balk, but Mayaguez pulled within one at 5-4 when Vargas doubled and eventually scored on Elvin Acosta's base hit.

Grand Canyon sealed the game with three runs in the eighth.