Season, tourney end in extras

Friday, May 10

Phoenix, Ariz.

7:30 p.m.

Grand Canyon

33-24

New Mexico State

33-21

Grand Canyon

New Mexico State

5/10/2019 11:23:00 PM | Softball, Paul Coro

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NMSU hits walk-off HR vs. GCU for 2nd consecutive night

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

Grand Canyon seniors Maddie Dowdle and Shea and Sierra Smith took off their cleats, laid them on home plate and sat by them, taking in that they had just worn them for the final time in a GCU uniform.

The Lopes' season ended Friday night at GCU Softball Stadium, when they rallied from a deficit for the third consecutive WAC Tournament game but were eliminated in familiar, frustrating fashion. A day after being put in the elimination bracket on an eighth-inning home run by New Mexico State senior Kelsey Horton, the Lopes' season ended on another extra-inning Horton home run Friday night at GCU Softball Stadium.

GCU (33-24) kept NMSU (33-21) to one run over the five previous innings before Horton, one of the nation's top 20 home-run hitters, belted her 18th round-tripper of the season with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning for a 6-4 win.

"I just wasn't prepared for the season to end," Lopes head coach Ann Pierson said. "It didn't even occur to me that we wouldn't be playing tomorrow and moving on next week. It just felt like everything was lined up for that. The kids were playing so well.

"I'm so proud of their fight all year long. There were tough schedules, tough games, tough opponents, tough moments and learning curves for all of them. It set us up to be in this position and we were all moving in the same direction. Everybody was pulling the rope so I figured we'd be doing this tomorrow."

GCU won two elimination games Thursday and Friday and led NMSU 4-3 before winding up in extra innings for the second consecutive game and being eliminated by the Aggies for the second consecutive year.

"I just kept thinking, 'Fight, fight, fight, just give it your all, that's all you have to do,' " Dowdle said. "I love this team and we're family. I have everyone to lean on and I couldn't have done it without any of them. It was a great experience. I wouldn't have traded it for anything. We've been through it all. It's been a blessing."

GCU took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when freshman second baseman Savannah Tourville doubled to the left-center warning track to score senior third baseman Sierra Smith, who opened the game by reaching on an error.

NMSU tied the score in familiar fashion when senior first baseman Kelsey Horton hit a solo blast to left field for her 17th home run of the season and tournament record-tying 14th RBI.

The Aggies extended the lead to 3-1 when junior catcher Shelby Schultes also homered off GCU sophomore starter Yessie Morrison. Schultes worked an 0-2 count to 3-2 before hitting the two-run blast to straightaway center field.

GCU junior Brianna Aguilar then came on in relief and pitched the final 7 1/3 innings, allowing only one run until the game-winning home run.

The Lopes closed the gap to 3-2 when Dowdle doubled on 0-2 count after senior third baseman Sierra Smith led off the inning with a single on a two-strike pitch.

While Aguilar was taming the NMSU bats with four consecutive shutout innings, the Lopes took the lead in the fifth inning by loading the bases on consecutive one-out singles by sophomore pinch-hitter Lily Bishop, senior shortstop Shea Smith and junior Loriann Olson, who bunted.

Sierra Smith hit a game-tying sacrifice fly to right field and an erroneous throw allowed her sister to score and give GCU a 4-3 lead.

NMSU tied the game in the bottom of the sixth inning but it was masterful work by Aguilar to contain it to that after loading the bases with no outs. Aguilar lured a double play, GCU's second of the game, that scored the tying run and then minimized the damage with an inning-ending ground out.

The Lopes put runners on base in the eighth inning (freshman Savannah Tourville) and ninth inning (sophomore Kayleigh Holland) but each was stranded before losing in the ninth inning.

The GCU senior class, with Taylor Kaye too, posted a 135-85 record over four years with 30-plus wins each season.

"I'm really proud of the kids but the four seniors have left a big mark on the program, off the field, on the field, in the classroom, in the community," Pierson said. "They didn't have any give-up in them for four years so I certainly wouldn't have expected it to show up now. They were willing to do whatever they had to do to help the team win and they played four years like that."

NMSU advances to the championship round Saturday, when Seattle could win the title in a 1:30 p.m. game at GCU Softball Stadium. The Aggies must beat the Redhawks twice to repeat as tourney champions.