GCU Gets Sunday Sweep, Improves to 3-1

Sunday, February 5

Phoenix, AZ

10 a.m.

Grand Canyon

Western New Mexico

Lisa Tarnowski

2/5/2012 11:08:00 AM | Softball

Grand Canyon (3-1) swept its games in Sunday's final day of the GCU Kickoff Classic at Stapleton-Pierson Field.

Behind the five-hit pitching of sophomore Kiki Sepulveda, Grand Canyon shut out Western New Mexico -- for the second straight day -- 3-0. Against CSU East Bay, GCU avenged Saturday's loss with an 8-4 win. Junior catcher Lisa Tarnowski had a first-inning three-run homer -- also for the second straight day -- and finished the game with two hits and four RBI.

"It was good to see adjustments at the plate (from Saturday) and see another strong defensive performance to help out our pitchers," said GCU coach Ann Pierson. "(Sepulveda) and (freshman pitcher) Kiley Raicaboth had good mound presence."

Raica shut out Western Saturday, 8-0. On Sunday, Sepulveda got all the runs she needed in the first two innings.

Kayla Henry and Stephanie Smith led the game off with walks. Henry, after stealing second base and moving to third on a ground out, scored on a single by Tarnowski. Smith scored on a throwing error by WNMU catcher Kaitlynn Barnes on a Tarnowski stolen base attempt. In the second Kara Holtorf led off with a single and scored on a single up the middle by Claire Zampini.

Sepulveda benefitted from a defense that turned three double plays, two were of the 6-4-3 variety, from frosh shortstop Kelsey Barak, to Zampini to frosh first baseman Lauren Regester.

"The looked smooth doing it," said Pierson of her middle infielders. "You can tell they've been working on it."

GCU had nine hits, all singles and seven players had at least one hit. Holtorf had the lone two-hit game. GCU left 10 runners on base.

Sepulveda was never in much trouble. She retired the side in order three times and a sixth inning double play gave her a three-batter sixth. In the fourth, with Mustang second baseman Ashly Eichenberger on second base, Barak booted a ground ball off the bat of Jessica Jayo, but recovered to throw Eichenberger out at the plate, aided by a nice job of blocking the plate by senior catcher Christine Jordan (CJ) Norvell.

With runners at first and second and no one out in the seventh, Jayo lined to Barak and into a double play.

For the second straight day, Tarnowski started the second game of the day with a first-inning three-run homer. She did it to start Saturday's 8-0 win over Western New Mexico. On Sunday, she followed walks to Henry and Barak with a two-out shot over the left field fence. She added an RBI-single in the third to score Zampini, who reached after being hit by a pitch, for a 4-1 lead.

Raica improved her record to 2-0 and got out three bases-loaded jams. The bases were left loaded in the second, fifth and sixth innings. Raica got infield pop ups to end all three frames.

"She didn't get rattled," praised Pierson of the freshman pitcher.

Leading 5-2, GCU got three insurance runs in the seventh. All came with two outs. Vanessa Chavez, Regester, Holtorf and Haley Walker had consecutive singles. Henry was credited with an RBI on a bases-loaded walk and a wild pitch got Holtorf across for an 8-2 lead.

GCU hit .327 as a team for the weekend and had a team ERA of 2.25. Leading the team after the first week, average-wise are freshmen Walker (.600) and Regester (.545), who went 3-for-4 with a double in the win over East Bay.

Tarnowski had eight RBI for the four-game set and lead-off hitter Henry scored five runs and drew six walks.

GCU will play in the Desert Stinger Friday-Sunday in Las Vegas, hosted by Montana State-Billings. On Friday, Grand Canyon takes on CSU Monterey Bay (3 p.m.) and Montana State-Billings (8 p.m.). On Saturday, the 'Lopes battle Western Washington (12:30 p.m.) and No. 8 Augustana (8 p.m.). They finish up the trip with a single game on Sunday with Simon Fraser (3 p.m.).

GCU 3, WNMU 0

GCU 8, CSUEB 4