GCU Closes Out Season With Pair of Losses at NMSU

Saturday, April 25

Las Cruces, NM

3 p.m.

Grand Canyon

28-21, 9-5

New Mexico State

39-13, 13-1

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Grand Canyon	1	0	0	0	2	0	0	3	5	1
New Mexico State	2	0	1	0	2	1	X	6	10	1

Haley Walker

Photo by: Darryl Webb

4/25/2015 8:56:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Lopes finish season with 28-22 record

The Grand Canyon University softball team (28-22, 9-6 WAC) dropped a pair of games to the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) regular-season champion New Mexico State Aggies (40-13, 14-1 WAC) Saturday at the NM State Softball Complex in Las Cruces, N.M. The Antelopes' season came to a close with a 6-3 loss in game one, before falling 15-5 in the nightcap.

In game one, GCU got on the board first, as Kelsey Barak drove a pitch up the middle to score Haley Walker in the top of the first.

After the host Aggies pushed a pair of runs across in the bottom of the first and added a run in the third, the Lopes scored twice in the top of the fifth to even the score at 3-3.

Jenna Coates drew a bases-loaded walk and Nicole Newbury connected on a RBI single to produce Canyon's two runs.

NMSU would respond by putting a two spot on the board in the bottom of the fifth and added a run in the sixth to take game one, 6-3.

Bailey Bergman (4-4) suffered the loss in the circle, tossing 3.1 innings for the Lopes, giving up five earned runs.

In game two, GCU fell short in the back-and-forth affair, falling 15-5 to the host Aggies.

Brittany Medina doubled down the right field line to score Coates in the second to put the Lopes on the board and tie the game at 1-1.

After NMSU added a run in the second, the Lopes battled back to take the lead in the top of the fifth. Kelsey Barak made her final collegiate at-bat a memorable one, as the shortstop belted a two-run home run to give GCU a 4-2 lead. Barak, one of the most prolific players in program history, finishes second all-time (26) on GCU's career home run list.

Mariah Valencia (1-4) was tagged with the loss, hurling four innings in the season finale.

Senior leadoff hitter Haley Walker and Medina paced the offense with a pair of hits each. Walker, who advanced her hitting streak to 17-straight games, finishes her final campaign with the most hits (74) in the WAC this season. GCU's all-time career hits leader Kayla Henry added a hit in the finale, while Lauren Regester made 10 putouts in her final games in a GCU uniform at first base.

Sophomore pitcher Taylor Nowlin set the GCU single-season strikeout record, fanning 134 in 2015.

Grand Canyon closes out the season with 28 wins, making this the 10^th consecutive year the Lopes have reached the 20-win plateau. In Pierson's 12-year tenure, GCU has failed only one time to record 20 or more victories in a season.

NMSU 6, GCU 3
NMSU 15, GCU 5 (6)