Lopes win 2 more for 4-0 weekend

Sunday, March 17

Phoenix, Ariz.

10 a.m.

Grand Canyon

17-13

Ohio State

15-9

Ohio State

Grand Canyon

Photo by: Takashi Sato

3/17/2019 2:43:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

GCU extends home winning streak to 6

By: Sarah Woodward

The Grand Canyon softball team finished a perfect weekend with two Sunday wins over Ohio State and Weber State at GCU Softball Stadium.

The Lopes (18-13) swept the GCU Invitational with a 4-0 record, beating the Buckeyes (15-9) and Wildcats (7-16) twice apiece. The sweep gives GCU a 6-0 record over the past five days after also sweeping a doubleheader against Lehigh on Wednesday.

"It was a great weekend," Lopes head coach Ann Pierson said. "It's great to be 6-0 on the week against three really good teams. We got to see a lot of things from our pitching staff, all four of them were outstanding the whole week. It was good to see them work through some of the glitches last weekend and get back on track this weekend and it was great to have strong performances from all four of them. I think that's going to bode well for us going into conference to have four pitchers on one team at this caliber. It's only going to be a great thing.

"We got to see a lot of kids doing some good things with their bats. Savannah (Tourville) continues to swing a hot bat, she got us on the board early against Ohio State. Throughout the weekend, they continue to just swing, and I felt like all of our wins were complete team wins. It was great energy out of the dugout all six games. It was great focus out of the dugout. We've just got to continue to learn every at bat, every pitch that's thrown, every ground ball or fly that we get. Because now the season starts all over again as we head into WAC play."

GAME 1

GCU plated three runs in the bottom of the first inning to get the early lead over the Buckeyes. Junior right fielder Loriann Olson was the first baserunner for the Lopes after reaching on an error. Senior shortstop Shea Smith stepped up with a no-out double down the left-field line to send Olson home for a 1-0 lead.

Tourville, a freshman second baseman, batted in GCU's next two runs, sending a home run over the left-field fence to score Shea Smith and put the Lopes up 3-0 at the end of the first.

GCU sat the Ohio State batters down in order in the second and third innings to hold the 3-0 lead. The Buckeyes scored once in the fourth frame before stranding three runners on base.

Both teams went scoreless in the fifth and sixth innings before Ohio State brought in two more runs in the top of the seventh to tie the game at 3-3. The Lopes were unable to retake the lead in the bottom of the seventh, sending the game to extra innings.

Shea Smith and Tourville executed a double play in the top of the eighth to prevent the Buckeyes from scoring, allowing sophomore first baseman Lilly Bishop to hit a walk-off bases-loaded single that scored senior Sierra Smith for a 4-3 win.

Sophomore Yessie Morrison pitched a complete game for the Lopes, earning the win to improve her record to 6-4 on the season.

GAME 2

GCU kept the momentum in the first inning against Weber State, taking an early 2-0 lead. Tourville got the first RBI of the game, driving a double into center field to send Shea Smith home. Junior designated player Jordon Keeton followed up with a sacrifice fly to left field to score Sierra Smith and put GCU ahead 2-0 heading into the second inning.

The Lopes put down Weber State in order in the third, fourth and sixth innings, holding the Wildcats scoreless.

Sophomore pitcher Ryan Denhart (5-3) started the game in the circle for the Lopes, allowing only two hits over four innings and getting one strikeout to earn the win. Junior Brianna Aguilar relieved her in the fifth and held the Wildcats to two hits in the final three innings for her first save of the season.

The Lopes return to GCU Softball Stadium on Friday for their first WAC matchup of the season, taking on Utah Valley in a doubleheader starting at 5 p.m. (Phoenix time).