5 home runs lift Lopes past Minnesota

Thursday, February 17

Phoenix, Ariz.

12 p.m.

Grand Canyon

5-1

Minnesota

3-3

Minnesota

Grand Canyon

2/17/2022 3:12:00 PM | Softball

Box Score Photo Gallery

Chatman’s 2nd blast of game gives GCU walk-off win

By: Kellie Reynolds

The Grand Canyon softball team took down Power 5 opponent Minnesota, which is receiving top-25 votes, in a true thriller that ended with GCU's fifth home run on a walk-off solo blast by Lopes graduate first baseman Denae Chatman.

Chatman, who went 3 for 3, and GCU junior catcher Kinsey Koeltzow each knocked out a pair of home runs and junior second baseman Macee Barnes added another in the Lopes' 8-7 win at GCU Softball Stadium. The Lopes (5-1) will end the day with a 6 p.m. game against Long Island.

"Big win for the Lopes," GCU head coach Shanon Hays said. "I was really proud of how our offense hung in there off a really good pitcher and took good swings. The depth of our lineup showed today. Obviously, big swings by Denae and Koeltzow. And Macee really got us going with her bomb. Fun game to play."

Minnesota got on the board first, scoring two runs on two hits in the top of the first inning. The Lopes responded when graduate center fielder Stephanie Reed hit a one-out double to left-center field and Chatman followed with her first home run for a 2-2 tie.

In the top of the second inning, the Golden Gophers hung one more run on one hit and one GCU error. Koeltzow knotted the game at 3-3 with her first home run on a leadoff solo shot to left.

Neither team was able to score in the third or fourth innings, but Minnesota added three runs in the top of the fifth inning. Once again, the Lopes matched the Gophers with three runs in the bottom of the fifth.

GCU senior third baseman Savannah Tourville led off the inning with a single up the middle and Barnes smacked her first career home run, cutting the Minnesota lead to 6-5. The rally continued as senior left fielder Gianna Nicoletti singled through the left side, followed by back-to-back hits from Reed and sophomore shortstop Katelyn Dunckel. With the bases loaded, Chatman hit a RBI fly to center that allowed Nicoletti to tag up and score for a 6-6 tie.

Junior Ariel Thompson came in to pitch for the Lopes in the top of the sixth inning and retired the Gophers in order.

In the bottom of the sixth, Koeltzow hit another leadoff home run with this shot over the left-center wall coming on a full count for a 7-6 GCU lead.

The Gophers used three hits to tie the game in the seventh inning, setting up Chatman's heroics in the bottom half.

With one out, Chatman drilled a low, full-count pitch for a line-drive over the center-field wall and a walk-off home run.