Upcoming Event: Softball versus Pima CC on September 30, 2025 at 6 p.m.
Softball
6 p.m.
vs Pima CC
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Sunday, February 28
Phoenix, Ariz.
11 a.m.
Grand Canyon
6-9
7
vs
13
Iowa State
13-2
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Iowa State
0
9
1
2
0
0
1
13
14
3
Grand Canyon
2
4
1
0
0
0
0
7
9
4
Bats break through in loss to No. 25 Cylcones
2/28/2021 3:06:00 PM | Softball
GCU's 9 hits not enough to beat Iowa State on Sunday
In the final game of the GCU Purple Classic, the Grand Canyon softball team lost 13-7 to No. 25 Iowa State on Sunday despite coming within one of the most runs scored on the 13-2 Cyclones this season.
It was an offensive improvement from a 7-2 loss to Iowa State on Friday.
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"It was a tough weekend, and we knew it was going to be given our opponents," Lopes head coach Ann Pierson said. "I was hoping for a better record but again we just continue to get better with every opportunity and every lesson we are learning, and I know that this is going to help us down the road. We definitely did a lot better against Iowa State today than we did on Friday, putting up more runs and having opportunities to put up more than we did."
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GCU (6-9) got on the board first, scoring two runs in the bottom of the first inning. Junior left fielder Gianna Nicoletti led off the inning with walk, which was followed by back-to-back infield singles by outfielders Tabitha Dyer and Kristin Fifield to load the bases. Back-to-back Cycloens errors resulted in two Lopes runs.Â
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Iowa State responded in the top of the second inning with nine runs on eight hits.
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It was Nicoletti once again who sparked a Lopes rally with an infield single in the second. Fifield sent a single up the middle that tacked on two runs. Junior second baseman Savannah Tourville followed with a single to left field. Freshman Jacie Hambrick drew a walk to load the bases. Fifield scored on a passed ball and a sacrifice fly by freshman shortstop Anjolee Aguilar-Beaucage scored Tourville to trim Iowa State's lead to 9-6.
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"We tightened up a few things, but we need to work on not giving up the big inning," said Pierson. "The big innings are killing us, and we need to be able to be able to stop someone else's momentum while we continue to create our own. So, what I was pleased about was our energy that our offense came back with."
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The Cyclones responded in the top of the third, as they managed to score one run for a 10-6 lead before GCU immediately answered again with a run. Senior catcher Kaylee Dietrich singled to right center, moved to second on a pass ball and scored on a single up the middle by Dyer.
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Iowa State tacked on two more runs in the fourth for a 12-7 lead that put away GCU despite Lopes right-handed pitcher Jacie Hambrick picked up her first perfect inning in the top of the fifth and a four-batter inning in the sixth. Â
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"I thought Tabitha played a great right field and was a great spark at the plate," Pierson said. "Kay (freshman Kaytlin Leyvas) came in and had a nice hit up the middle and tried to get something going (in the seventh). There are just some things that we are going to have to grow up a little bit quicker with.Â
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"Again, the energy I was appreciative of and the work ethic we have. Sunday's have been a little rough for us and today it was not I was really happy with the energy coming out of the dugout. Now, we are going to clean things up this week and get back after it next weekend with a three- game series with Northern Illinois."
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GCU hosts Northern Illinois in a three-game series beginning Saturday at 1 p.m. at the GCU Softball Stadium.
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It was an offensive improvement from a 7-2 loss to Iowa State on Friday.
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"It was a tough weekend, and we knew it was going to be given our opponents," Lopes head coach Ann Pierson said. "I was hoping for a better record but again we just continue to get better with every opportunity and every lesson we are learning, and I know that this is going to help us down the road. We definitely did a lot better against Iowa State today than we did on Friday, putting up more runs and having opportunities to put up more than we did."
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GCU (6-9) got on the board first, scoring two runs in the bottom of the first inning. Junior left fielder Gianna Nicoletti led off the inning with walk, which was followed by back-to-back infield singles by outfielders Tabitha Dyer and Kristin Fifield to load the bases. Back-to-back Cycloens errors resulted in two Lopes runs.Â
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Iowa State responded in the top of the second inning with nine runs on eight hits.
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It was Nicoletti once again who sparked a Lopes rally with an infield single in the second. Fifield sent a single up the middle that tacked on two runs. Junior second baseman Savannah Tourville followed with a single to left field. Freshman Jacie Hambrick drew a walk to load the bases. Fifield scored on a passed ball and a sacrifice fly by freshman shortstop Anjolee Aguilar-Beaucage scored Tourville to trim Iowa State's lead to 9-6.
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"We tightened up a few things, but we need to work on not giving up the big inning," said Pierson. "The big innings are killing us, and we need to be able to be able to stop someone else's momentum while we continue to create our own. So, what I was pleased about was our energy that our offense came back with."
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The Cyclones responded in the top of the third, as they managed to score one run for a 10-6 lead before GCU immediately answered again with a run. Senior catcher Kaylee Dietrich singled to right center, moved to second on a pass ball and scored on a single up the middle by Dyer.
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Iowa State tacked on two more runs in the fourth for a 12-7 lead that put away GCU despite Lopes right-handed pitcher Jacie Hambrick picked up her first perfect inning in the top of the fifth and a four-batter inning in the sixth. Â
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"I thought Tabitha played a great right field and was a great spark at the plate," Pierson said. "Kay (freshman Kaytlin Leyvas) came in and had a nice hit up the middle and tried to get something going (in the seventh). There are just some things that we are going to have to grow up a little bit quicker with.Â
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"Again, the energy I was appreciative of and the work ethic we have. Sunday's have been a little rough for us and today it was not I was really happy with the energy coming out of the dugout. Now, we are going to clean things up this week and get back after it next weekend with a three- game series with Northern Illinois."
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GCU hosts Northern Illinois in a three-game series beginning Saturday at 1 p.m. at the GCU Softball Stadium.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Charles, Karlie (6-1)
L: Denhart, Ryan (4-2)
Batting:
2B: Ramos, Mikayla 1 ; Ochoa, Milaysia 1 ; Ranches, Alesia 1
3B: Ramos, Skyler 1
RBI: Spelhaug, Carli 2 ; Williams, Sami 2 ; Ochoa, Milaysia 2 ; Ranches, Alesia 2 ; Marin, Camille 1 ; Nelson, Lea 2 ; Ramos, Skyler 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Spelhaug, Carli 1 ; Williams, Sami 1 ; Ramos, Mikayla 2 ; Schaben, Logan 1 ; Ochoa, Milaysia 2 ; Ranches, Alesia 2 ; Gonzalez, Angelica 1 ; Nelson, Lea 2 ; Ramos, Skyler 1
SB: Ramos, Mikayla 1
HBP: Ochoa, Milaysia 1 ; Nelson, Lea 1
Batting:
RBI: Dyer, Tabitha 1 ; Fifield, Kristin 2 ; Aguilar-Beaucage, Anjolee 1
SF: Aguilar-Beaucage, Anjolee 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Nicoletti, Gianna 1 ; Dyer, Tabitha 2 ; Fifield, Kristin 2 ; Tourville, Savannah 1 ; Dietrich, Kaylee 1
HBP: Bishop, Lilly 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
2
H
3
RBI
1
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
2
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Softball
C/INF
/ SoftballP/UTL
/ SoftballUTL
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P
/ Softball
UTL
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