Softball Season Ends with Loss to Dixie State

Saturday, May 15

Rohnert Park, CA

Grand Canyon

Dixie State

Sophomore shortstop (Eugene, OR/Sheldon)

Kaycee Gamez tags out Dixie State's Bailie Hicken on a stolen-base attempt in the fifth inning.

5/15/2010 8:13:00 PM | Softball

By: Joel Horn

The historic 2010 season for the Grand Canyon University softball team ended today with a 3-2 loss to fellow Pacific West Conference member Dixie State in the NCAA Division II West Regional on the campus of Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park, Calif. It was the Antelopes' second loss in the double-elimination tournament.

No. 3 seed GCU, which was selected for the NCAA Division II Softball Championships for the first time in the program's seven-year history, finished the season with a 42-13 record, 23-9 in the PacWest.

No. 7 seed Dixie State improved to 38-13 overall and advanced to Game 5 of the Regional against No. 2 seed Sonoma State. Whoever wins that game will face No. 6 seed Chico State in Game 6 at 11 a.m. tomorrow. If Chico State wins that game, it will win the tournament. If it doesn't, the two teams will play Game 7, and the winner of that game will be the tournament champion.

Dixie State got on the scoreboard first in today's game, pushing a run across the plate in the top of the third inning. Sophomore center fielder Katlyn Nelson walked to lead off the inning and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by junior left fielder Cassi Merrill. Sophomore right fielder Bailie Hicken, the Red Storm's leadoff hitter, hit a ground ball to sophomore shortstop Kaycee Gamez (Eugene, OR/Sheldon), but Gamez's throw was in the dirt and got away from junior first baseman Montana Lucas (Glendale, AZ/Cactus, Phoenix College). Nelson scored on the play.

Dixie State made it 2-0 in the top of the fourth inning when junior shortstop Ashley McFarland was hit by a pitch and stole second. After freshman first baseman Johnna Brown struck out swinging, freshman designated player Anna Cue singled to left, driving in McFarland.

The 'Lopes stranded five runners through the first four innings and had three hits.

The Red Storm increased their lead to 3-0 in the top of the sixth inning. Sophomore third baseman Kelsey Mendenhall singled to left and was pinch run for by freshman Jayci Jeffress. Pinch hitter Kourtnie Schlacter, a sophomore, advanced Jeffress to second on a sacrifice bunt. Brown popped out to second base, and then Cue doubled off the right-center field wall, scoring Jeffress.

GCU finally got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth. Senior second baseman Kelli Bridges (Coeur d'Alene, ID/Lake City, North Idaho College) singled to center, senior designated player Tracy Lubken (Scottsdale, AZ/Horizon, Phoenix College) also singled to center, and Lucas sacrificed Bridges and Lubken to third and second, respectively. Senior pitcher Amy Searcy (Bixby, OK/Bixby, MidAmerica Nazerene University) grounded out to third, and then senior third baseman Gayle Nesbit (Phoenix, AZ/Shadow Mountain, Mesa Community College) hit a ground ball that went off of the third baseman's glove to the shortstop, whose throw to first was not in time. Bridges scored.

The 'Lopes scored again one batter later, when senior right fielder Nikki Lorenzi (Phoenix, AZ/Horizon, Gateway Community College) grounded to the shortstop, who made a nice throw to the first baseman, but the first baseman dropped the ball and was charged with an error. Lubken scored on the play.

After six innings, GCU had stranded nine runners and had six hits.

Searcy gave up two singles in the top of the seventh, but emerged unscathed. She pitched all seven innings and allowed seven hits and three runs, walked two and had six strikeouts. She threw 124 pitches.

Gamez led off the bottom of the seventh by hitting a hard ground ball to the first baseman who stabbed it and stepped on the bag for the first out. Junior left fielder Teddy Barry (Phoenix, AZ/Greenway, Phoenix College), the PacWest Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year as well as a First-Team All-PacWest selection, hit a screamer down the right-field line that would have put her in scoring position, but it was foul. She then grounded out to second base for out No. 2. Bridges was next up, and she walked, as did Lubken after her. Lucas stepped to the plate and battled hard, fouling off a number of pitches before hitting a grounder to the second baseman, who tagged out Barry running from first to end the game -- and the 'Lopes' season.

Box Score

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