Lopes battle but fall short in tough match up against No. 10 Utah

Tuesday, May 2

Salt Lake City, Utah

3 p.m.

Grand Canyon

36-16

Utah

31-9

Grand Canyon

Utah

Lopes battle but fall short in tough match up against No. 10 Utah

5/2/2017 7:19:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

By: Shae Fanning and Alex Nash

Salt Lake City – The Grand Canyon softball program traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah to play the No. 10 Utah Utes in a non-conference doubleheader. The Lopes would be shut out in both games losing the first 9-0 and the second 3-0. The Lopes battled in game two behind some great pitching and defense but could not get the offense going as they dropped the first two of three on the Utah roadtrip.

Taylor Nowlin (19-8) pitched the first two games and added to her WAC leading strikeout total adding two more.

Brianna Aguilar-Beaucage toed the rubber for game two and fell to 12-6 on the year pitching a gem, only allowing two hits until the final inning.

Game 1
Grand Canyon dropped game 1 of the doubleheader, losing to the Utes 9-0 in five innings. The Lopes threatened in the second inning with runners on second and third but nothing would come of the lone scoring chance. Nowlin shut down the Utes the final two innings but it would not be enough.

Nowlin, had two strikeouts, giving up three earned runs, and seven hits in four innings pitched.

Offensively the Lopes combined for four hits in 19 at bats. Niki Gonzalez, Megan Stevens, Camree Wartman and Shea Smith all had hits in the game.

Game 2
Brianna Aguilar-Beaucage was spectacular but the offense was quiet for the second straight game as the Utes beat the Lopes 3-0. The game was scoreless heading into the seventh until BreOnna Castaneda hit a walk-off three-run homer to end the game.

Loriann Olson had the lone Lopes hit in the game while Niki Gonzalez, Jenna Coates and Sierra Smith all drew walks.

Aguilar-Beaucage pitched all 7.1 innings, allowed five hits and the one homerun. Before the last inning, she retired 15 straight thanks to great defense behind her.

Through the first three innings the Utes would have one reach base but the Lopes made sure that was all that came of it as they played shut down defense. GCU's lone scoring chance came in the fifth inning when Olson singled and Coates walked. Kendsey Hill would hit a hard line drive to third but it was snatched out of the air to end the threat.

In innings four, five and six the Utes went down in order as Aguilar-Beaucage found her stride. The seventh inning started with an out followed by two singles which set up the game winning Castaneda home run.

Up Next
The Lopes will make the short trip to Provo, Utah to face No. 21 BYU in the final game of the season.