Bobo blasts Iowa with 1-hitter

Sunday, March 11

Phoenix, Ariz.

11:30 AM

Grand Canyon

16-13

Iowa

8-8

University of Iowa

Grand Canyon

3/11/2018 2:19:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

Lopes claim Sunday matinee

By: Sarah Woodward

A perfect game through six innings and a single run in the top of the seventh from sophomore Brianna Aguilar-Beaucage clinched the Sunday mantinee victory for the Grand Canyon softball team, as the Lopes (16-13) downed Iowa (8-8), 1-0, to set up the Monday night rubber match and series finale.

Aguilar-Beaucage dished out four strike outs over seven batters faced, allowing no walks and no runs for the complete victory. The GCU defense was strong behind the right-handed starter, allowing just one base runner off of a single to right field in the top of the seventh inning.

"This was a great win, especially after yesterday's performance against Iowa," head coach Ann Pierson said. "Iowa is a great team and we needed to come back and play a lot better and show what we actually can do, rather than just show up.

"Bobo (Aguilar-Beaucage) threw a fantastic game, one of the best of her career since she's been at GCU. The defense played fantastic behind her, so it was a complete defensive team effort.

"We were more aggressive at the plate, so we did a better job with that," Pierson said. "We were running the bases well, but we need to still figure out manufacturing runs and driving runs in when we get kids on base. We need to be scoring more runs than we are right now. We know we're going to get a tough pitcher with Iowa tomorrow night and another tough game with them. We're looking forward to it, we just have to put our best foot forward."

The Lopes got on the board in the bottom of the first with an RBI single up the middle from Sierra Smith, sending her sister Shea Smith home for the score. With the single, she has tallied a hit in 12 straight games.

Smith and freshman Kaylee Dietrich were 2-3 on the day, while seniors Niki Gonzalez and Laynee Gomez, as well as sophomore Loriann Olson and junior Taylor Kaye were all 1-3 on the game. Dietrich tallied a single and a double to center field.

GCU and Iowa battled it out through seven full innings, as the Lopes retired the Hawkeyes in order in six-straight innings before Iowa went four up, three down in the seventh to end the game.

The Lopes and the Hawkeyes close the three-game series tomorrow night at 7 p.m. at GCU Softball Stadium, as both teams have claim a win to split the first two games.