By: Generated by uReport

IRVINE, Calif. - Third-seeded Arizona Christian opened the 2026 GSAC Baseball Championship with a 6-2 victory over second-seeded OUAZ on Monday at Great Park Stadium, using steady pitching from Casey Farrell and late offense to pull away in the first-round matchup.

The Firestorm scratched across an unearned run in the second inning and then gradually built separation with single runs in the seventh and eighth before adding two more in the ninth. OUAZ did not score until the bottom of the ninth, when Matthew Carter delivered a two-run double, but the rally came too late.

Farrell turned in the game's most important pitching performance for Arizona Christian. He worked 7 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing seven hits, walking three and striking out five to earn the win. OUAZ starter Austin Humphres kept his team within reach for much of the morning, striking out seven over seven innings while allowing two runs, one earned, on five hits, but he took the loss as Arizona Christian capitalized on its chances later in the game.

Arizona Christian got on the board in the top of the second when Berkeley Kaiser lifted a sacrifice fly that brought home Reese Vassar for an unearned run and a 1-0 lead. The margin stayed there until the seventh, when Marcellus Cueva singled home Jacob Solis. In the eighth, Joey Genduso supplied the key swing of the game, lining a two-run single that drove in Noah Manasan and Colton Horner as the lead grew to 4-0. Arizona Christian added two more in the ninth, one on a wild pitch and another on Andrew Ivy's sacrifice fly.

Genduso finished 3 for 3 with two RBIs and a walk, one of the standout performances from Arizona Christian. Cueva added two hits, an RBI and a stolen base. OUAZ collected nine hits but left 11 runners on base, a major factor in the outcome. Carter led the way offensively for OUAZ, going 3 for 5 with two RBIs, and his ninth-inning double accounted for the team's only runs. Arizona Christian finished with 10 hits, nine runners left on base, three stolen bases and one error, while OUAZ committed two errors.

The result moved Arizona Christian into the winners bracket semifinal, scheduled for Tuesday at noon. OUAZ dropped into an elimination game set for Monday at 6 p.m.