Denhart deals in GCU sweep

Saturday, February 23

Phoenix, Ariz.

11:30 a.m.

Grand Canyon

5-6

Michigan State

3-9

Michigan State

Grand Canyon

2/23/2019 8:12:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Sophomore records 14 strikeouts against North Dakota

By: Sarah Woodward

Sophomore pitcher Ryan Denhart was a bright light for the Grand Canyon softball team with a career-high and GCU Division I-record 14 strikeouts in the Lopes' 8-2 victory against North Dakota on Saturday night at GCU Softball Stadium.

Before beating North Dakota (3-0), the Lopes (6-6) also defeated Michigan State (3-9) in their first GCU Purple Classic game.

Denhart nearly missed the GCU all-time record for most strikeouts in a single game, coming two shy of Cassi Forsyth's mark of 16 that was set against St. Martin's in 2005.

"It was a great day to get two wins against two very good teams," Lopes head coach Ann Pierson said. "In Game 1, Yessie (Morrison) and Lexy (Coons) combined for a great game to keep a very strong offense off balance. They both pounded the zone and allowed our defense to work behind them ... I was pleased once we got going with our offense and put up a big inning. We had a lot of people chipping in. I like to be able to depend on multiple kids in the lineup for run production.

"In Game 2, Ryan was outstanding," Pierson said. "She hit her spots, worked ahead and, with 14 strikeouts, I like our chances to win. Her 14 strikeouts would be tough for any offense to beat. Shea (Smith) played a great game defensively at shortstop. I was pleased with our situational hitting and base running in Game 2. We continued to work on the little things in each game and we just have to look to get better each time we step on the field."

GAME 1
Michigan State got the scoring started with an early sacrifice fly and kept the pressure on in the fourth inning with a leadoff triple that resulted in a sacrifice fly two batters later, giving the visitors a 2-0 lead.

GCU senior third baseman Sierra Smith began the fourth frame with a leadoff single and her twin, senior shortstop Shea Smith, rewarded her with a deep RBI double to left field to get GCU on the board. Freshman first baseman Taylor Olsen followed with a sacrifice fly to tie things up, sending sophomore pinch runner Taylor Tetone to home plate.

Senior left fielder Maddie Dowdle kept the inning going with a double of her own, plating two before senior center fielder Taylor Kaye sent her home with a single down the third-base line. The Lopes sent nine batters to the plate in the inning and scored five.

The Spartans looked to recapture momentum in the fifth, but Kaye put a stop to it. She gunned down a runner at third base to end the inning. The Smith sisters were at it again in the bottom of the inning, as Sierra scored on a passed ball and Shea followed by way of a single by freshman second basema Savannah Tourville to give GCU a 7-2 lead.

Sophomore Lexy Coons entered in the sixth to close out the win. After walking the first two, Coons struck out five of the next six batters to end the game.

GAME 2
Denhart started hot in Game 2, striking out the first three batters against North Dakota. The Fighting Hawks managed to send two runners home in the second, but the Lopes answered to put the score at 2-2 going into the third inning.

Both teams were scoreless in the third and fourth innings, but GCU took momentum in the fifth. Denhart tied her career high with her ninth strikeout of the game before setting a new career high at ten, sending the Lopes to the bottom of the fifth.

GCU got its bats going, starting with Kaye reaching on a leadoff error. Freshman right fielder Gianna Nicoletti bunted to move Kaye to second before Olsen sent her to third with a single to right field. Shea Smith sent Kaye home with a ground out to second base while Sierra Smith grabbed another RBI with a single up the middle to score Olsen.

GCU stayed tough on defense in the sixth as Kaye caught a fly ball to center field for the first out, followed by two more strikeouts from Denhart.

The Lopes scored four more times in the sixth inning to increase their lead to 8-2. Dowdle scored the first run of the inning off an RBI single up the middle from junior pinch hitter Brianna Aguilar on her first at bat as a Lope.

Shea Smith put two more runs on the board with a single to center field, sending Nicoletti and Kaye home for a 7-2 lead. Shea Smith scored the final run of the game off an RBI single from Sierra Smith.

Denhart stranded one runner in the seventh by recording her 14th strikeout to finish the game.

The Lopes are back in action Sunday with their final two games of the GCU Purple Classic. GCU takes on Boise State at 11 a.m. and Yale at 1 p.m.