Shutout puts Lopes in WAC title round

Friday, May 13

Huntsville, Texas

11 a.m.

Grand Canyon

38-13

Stephen F. Austin

29-24

S.F. Austin State

Grand Canyon

5/13/2022 2:44:00 PM | Softball

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Thompson's 2nd tournament shutout beats No. 2 seed SFA

By: Paul Coro

HUNTSVILLE, Texas – One more.

The top-seeded Grand Canyon softball team reached the WAC Tournament championship round by getting one more run, one more defensive gem and one more clutch strikeout.

The one-more theme carried to the scoreboard, where the Lopes beat No. 2 seed Stephen F. Austin 1-0 and advanced to a Saturday championship round. Now, they need one more win for their first WAC Tournament championship and NCAA tournament berth.

GCU (38-13) built on its Division I-era program record for victories by scoring on WAC Pitcher of the Year Kassidy Wilbur in the first inning and getting a second straight shutout from its pitcher. Lopes junior right-hander Ariel Thompson followed up Thursday's five-inning one-hitter with a three-hit complete game on Friday.

Saturday's GCU game will be at 11 a.m. (Phoenix time) against the winner of Friday night's Stephen F. Austin-Seattle U winner.

Stephen F. Austin made threats against GCU on Friday, but Thompson attacked hitters differently than Thursday to rack up seven strikeouts, five of which ended innings.

"I took a step across the line and thought, 'This is a completely different ball game than yesterday,' " Thompson said after moving to 21-4. "Today's game was so much fun.

"My friends outside of softball said, 'What's it going to feel like facing the Pitcher of the Year?' She (Wilbur) threw a great game. At the end of the day, it's our team having grit."

The Lopes did not know the first inning would be their only offense, but they attacked as if it would be their only chance. Junior right fielder Hannah Burnett singled to center on a 2-2 pitch and swiped her 20th stolen base to give GCU two cracks at bringing her home.

The Lopes only needed one with sophomore shortstop Katelyn Dunckel handling an up-and-in, 1-2 pitch for an RBI single to right field.

"I'm thinking that Hannah is quick and if I can nub the ball out anywhere and get it through the defense, she's going to score no matter what," Dunckel said. "I was like, 'I'm just going to go for it.'

"That sets a really good tone for our team. We didn't have any other runs, but it kept them down. When you get on the board first, it's so relieving."

Burnett is having a 3-for-5 tournament and Dunckel is hitting a team-high .411 for the season. Both were small-school transfers identified by GCU head coach Shanon Hays, who coached Dunckel at Oklahoma Christian and saw Burnett at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M.

"The first inning was huge," Hays said. "Hannah stole that base and gave us two chances to drive her in. We were fortunate and got a couple of dinks and dunks. Our speed helped us. I put Hannah in the two-hole today because she's been seeing it real well and it's a better matchup for her. It paid off."

The Lopes defense supported Thompson with graduate first baseman Denae Chatman's overhead catch in foul territory, junior second baseman Macee Barnes throwing out a seventh-inning runner and graduate center fielder Stephanie Reed racing back for an outstretched, fourth-inning catch at the wall.

"That fired me up more than anything," Thompson said. "I don't know how she caught that, but she did. She's invincible."

GCU only picked up three more hits after the first-inning score, but each came with two outs and was stranded. That left Thompson to dodge a pair of two-on, one-out situations in the final two innings, although the seventh-inning one only lasted for a second.

The Lopes had a rundown going between second and third with one runner, who returned to second base safely. But Barnes snapped the ball to first base, catching that runner off the bag for the second out. Thompson than fanned the game's final batter.

"I was a little disappointed," Hays said. "We had opportunities to put a little pressure on them that we didn't do. We didn't execute a hit-and-run and some things that we usually do well we didn't do well today. In some ways, we made it a little easier on her (Wilbur) and that's the last thing you want to do for her."

The Lopes could face Wilbur again on Saturday, when Friday night's winner will have to beat GCU twice to be the tournament champion.

When the Lopes gathered postgame on Friday, the discussion addressed game issues and took suggestions as they do with any other game. Being one win away from the title never came up.

"Play the same every game," Hays said. "Try to play well, whether it's the first game or last game, so your emotions aren't up and down like a heartbeat."