Lopes split series-opening pair

Friday, March 24

Phoenix, Ariz.

4:30 p.m.

Grand Canyon

26-5, 0

Tarleton

18-14, 0

Tarleton

Grand Canyon

3/24/2023 11:54:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

GCU opens home WAC play with 1-1 split vs. Tarleton

By: Adrianna Candelaria

The Grand Canyon softball team's record moved to 27-5 overall and 3-2 in WAC play after splitting a Friday doubleheader against Tarleton in this season's first conference games at GCU Softball Stadium.

Golden guides Lopes to victory

GCU sophomore pitcher Meghan Golden, now 7-0, struck out 10 Texans and only allowed three hits through seven innings in GCU's 5-1 nightcap win over Tarleton. Four of Golden's innings were three and out .

Striking first in the second game of the series, senior designated player Ramsay Lopez sent a sacrifice fly to center field to score senior center fielder Hannah Burnett for a brief lead before Tarleton scored a tying run in the top of the second.

The Lopes found four additional runs in the bottom of the second, with an RBI by senior second baseman Macee Barnes and a three-run home run from senior right fielder Kristin Fifield, her team-leading 11th of the season. Fifield, with 34 career home runs, is now just one home run away from tying the GCU all-time record.

Comeback try falls short in 5-2 loss

The Lopes quickly found themselves in an uphill battle, as the Texans put up five runs before GCU managed its first score in the bottom of the third. GCU delivered seven hits and walked four times but left nine runners on base and scored just twice, while Tarleton posted seven hits for five in its 5-2 series-opening win.

The Lopes struggled to string together a momentous stride, leaving nine runners on base through the seventh-inning stretch. However, junior left fielder Kayla Rodgers and Lopez recorded the Lopes only RBIs in the third and fifth innings, respectively.

GCU's pitchers, senior Ariel Thompson (6-2) and sophomore Emily Darwin, combined for 10 ground outs, seven walks, six fly outs and four strikeouts.

Meanwhile, the Lopes were met by Tarleton left-handed pitcher Tristan Bridges, who nearly disabled GCU's left-handed offense in its entirety. The Lopes now hold an 0-2 season record against left-handed starters.