Canyon Gets Series Finale at SF State

Saturday, March 10

San Francisco, CA

12 p.m.

Grand Canyon

San Francisco State

Kiki Sepulveda had a key two-run pinch-hit single in Grand Canyon's three-run fourth inning.

3/10/2012 1:56:00 PM | Softball

Grand Canyon (12-8) finished its three-game regional series at San Francisco State (6-18) with a 7-1 victory at SFSU Softball Field Saturday.

GCU scored three in the fourth and four in the seventh, while freshman pitcher Kiley Raica went the distance to improve to 8-3 on the season.

GCU won the series 2-1.

“I feel our hitters were better today and we competed more at the plate,” said GCU coach Ann Pierson.

In the third, Kara Holtorf led off by reaching and advancing to second base on a throwing error. She moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Kelsey Barak and scored on an infield single by Lauren Regester. Vanessa Chavez walked. A sacrifice bunt from Haley Walker moved Regester and Chavez up a base. Both scored on a pinch-hit single by Kiki Sepulveda.

“It was a great at-bat,” Pierson said of Sepulveda’s pinch-hit. “She really battled and she hadn’t had a game at-bat in a long time. She was put into a tough spot."

The Gators got on the board with one in the sixth, but the Antelopes extended the lead with a big seventh inning.

Claire Zampini and Stephanie Smith each had doubles and after Holtorf reached again on an error, Barak hit a three-run home run to left-center field.

Raica gave up only five hits and one earned run. She had one walk and one strikeout.

“In my opinion, that’s the best game Kiley’s had,” Pierson said. “She had command and she was getting outs. Her defense played real well behind her.”

GCU is off until March 20 when it starts a 10-game PacWest homestand with a doubleheader against Hawai’i Hilo. The Vulcans will be in for doubleheaders on March 20-21. Chaminade is in town March 24 for a pair of games and Hawai’i Pacific is in Phoenix March 26-27 for a four-game set.

GCU 7, SFSU 1