GCU Splits PacWest Twinbill with Art U Sunday

Sunday, March 4

San Francisco, CA

1 p.m.

Grand Canyon

Academy of Art

Vanessa Chavez had the first two home runs of her GCU career Sunday, one in each game, in a doubleheader split with Academy of Art.

3/4/2012 1:54:00 PM | Softball

Grand Canyon (10-7, 3-1) split a Pacific West Conference doubleheader with Academy of Art (5-12, 1-3) at Mission Blue Field in Brisbane, Calif., Sunday.

GCU won the opener 7-2 and lost the second game 4-3 in eight innings.

GCU won its PacWest opening series three games to one.

“We were right there for the sweep. We had our opportunities,” said GCU coach Ann Pierson.

In the opener leading 3-1 in the sixth, senior second baseman Vanessa Chavez hit a three-run home run. It was Chavez’s first home run as a GCU player.

GCU started the scoring with a two-run fourth inning. After a one-out walk to Kelsey Barak, Lauren Regester and Stephanie Smith hit back-to-back doubles.

Kiley Raica threw a complete game and improved to 7-2 on the season. It was her sixth complete game. She gave up six hits, one earned run and struck out three.

Raica got out of trouble numerous innings as the Urban Knights left at least one runner in scoring position in four innings. Catcher Christine Jordan (CJ) Norvell threw two runners out trying to steal.

Chavez homered in the second game to give GCU a 1-0 lead in the second. Art U took a 2-1 lead with two runs in the fifth, but GCU answered with a run in the sixth to tie the game.

“They were bombs,” said Pierson of the second baseman’s first two homers as an Antelope. “The ball doesn’t travel well here and there was no question on either of her home runs. She was fantastic all day long at the plate.”

In the sixth, Kayla Henry had a one-out single. She stole second base and scored on a Barak single. Barak extended her hitting streak to 13 games. Regester added a single in the inning and Chavez reached on a walk, but GCU left the bases loaded.

In the eighth, Academy of Art’s Taylor Thurman hit a two-run home run. In the bottom half of the inning, Barak hit a solo homer, but the Antelopes were unable to score again.

In relief, Janelle Christman (1-2) suffered the loss.

“We had some good signs from our pitchers in the second game,” said Pierson, noting the efforts of Christman, starter Brittany Manzoline and reliever Kiki Sepulveda. “They did a good job, just left a couple of balls up and got hurt.”

GCU will return to the San Francisco area this weekend with a non-conference three-game series with San Francisco State.

GCU 7, AAU 2
AAU 4, GCU 3 (8)