Seattle series leaves Lopes in 2nd

Saturday, April 27

Phoenix, Ariz.

6 p.m.

Grand Canyon

28-21, 0

Seattle U

33-15, 0

Seattle U

Grand Canyon

4/27/2019 9:40:00 PM | Softball, Paul Coro

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Impact GCU quartet honored on Senior Night

By: <a href="http://gculopes.com/index.aspx?path=coro">Paul Coro</a>

It was Senior Night, the final regular-season home game and a Grand Canyon loss that put Seattle U in control of the WAC softball race but it is far from the last that the WAC and GCU Softball Stadium has seen from this GCU team.

The Lopes came into the weekend series as the conference-play leaders in hitting, pitching and fielding and performed ideally for a 10-1 win in Game 1 but stumbled in all categories from there, falling 6-3 in Game 2 on Friday night and 6-2 in Game 3 on Saturday night.

GCU (28-21, 10-5 WAC) suffered from its first four-error game of the season to dig a large early hole for a second consecutive night and keep Seattle (33-15, 12-3 WAC) in first place. The Redhawks scored four runs during a two-out rally that followed an error and kept GCU scoreless over the final six innings.

It is not the type of performance that Lopes head coach Ann Pierson worries about repeating when the team heads to Kansas City next weekend to finish the regular season and hosts the May 8-11 WAC Tournament. GCU, with a one-game lead on New Mexico State for second place, can earn a tournament first-round bye if it finishes in the top two spots.

"The frustrating part is I know we're so much better and we work so hard," Pierson said. "Our defense has been really tight all year. The good news is, because our defense has been tight all year long, I'm not worrying or panicking. I believe we'll go into Kansas City and do what we do."

After allowing one run in five innings Friday, Lopes sophomore pitcher Ryan Denhart did not escape the first inning Saturday once Seattle took a 4-0 lead on sophomore Carley Nance's two-run home run.

GCU immediately scrapped back for two runs in the bottom of the first with freshman Gianna Nicoletti, senior Shea Smith and sophomore Kayleigh Holland singling but the Lopes only had three more hits for the rest of the game after coming into the night with a WAC-best .334 conference batting average. Seattle senior pitcher Andie Larkins entered Saturday with the WAC's second-best ERA and left with her 11th win.

GCU's WAC-leading team ERA also dropped with junior Brianna Aguilar's and sophomore Lexy Coons' relief work but the errors and free bases gave Seattle extra chances for a second consecutive game. The Lopes made 11 errors in their first 13 WAC games and seven in the past two games.

"We're still in a good position to have a good seed in the tournament, which is really good because we didn't have that last year," said Shea Smith, whose team still reached the championship round last year. "We just have to know that it'll really count when it comes to the tournament. When we play our game, we can literally beat anybody and we've shown that."

GCU's offense was led Saturday by freshman first baseman Taylor Olsen, who doubled and singled but was stranded in scoring position each time.

"Knowing what was at stake, it was a fun weekend," Pierson said. "We knew it was going to be highly competitive with a lot of energy. Seattle is just a really, really tough team so we knew it was going to be good. We blew the doors off in Game 1 with Ryan throwing a great game. Our defense was outstanding. We swung our bats well. We executed on offense. We didn't really do much wrong in the first game."

"We'll be fine. We'll get back to work Monday and fix things. We've still got a lot left. I was really pleased with their energy. They didn't let up at all and they fought. It was really good to see them compete."

The Lopes honored four seniors:

Maddie Dowdle, a biology graduate and winner of the Kevin and Greta Warren Postgraduate Scholarship. "Maddie came to GCU as a scrappy competitor who found a way to win," Pierson said. "In her four years, she became a true student of the game and an example to her teammates on and off the field. Her personality and talents have been contagious to those around her."
Taylor Kaye, a healthcare administration graduate and winner of the Roland L. Beck Senior Scholar-Athlete Award. "TK has been a rock in this program," Pierson said. "She is a true spirit of the game and is the kid that you want all others to emulate. Her work ethic and commitment to be the best raises everyone's bar. She will be a huge success in all areas of her life."
Shea and Sierra Smith, business management graduates who each has been the team's season hitting leader twice. "These two have locked down the left side for four years. They have pushed each other on the field and in the classroom and their drive to be the best has raised their own individual ceilings. Thankfully, their bond as sisters has only strengthened their talents and these two will take on the world and succeed. They don't know any different."

Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.