GCU drops WAC series for 1st time this season

Saturday, April 1

Las Cruces, N.M.

1 p.m. (MST)

Grand Canyon

29-7, 0

New Mexico State

15-15, 0

GCU

NM State

Photo by: Adrianna Candelaria

4/1/2023 10:09:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

NMSU walk-off win concludes 1-2 series in Las Cruces

By: Adrianna Candelaria

LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The Grand Canyon softball team (29-7, 5-4 WAC) fell to New Mexico State (15-15, 4-5 WAC) in the final game of this weekend's matchup on Saturday, dropping their first conference series of the season.

Saturday's 5-4 loss to the Aggies also marked the first time that the Lopes lost after hitting three home runs in a single game this season, as GCU beat Portland State, Abilene Christian, and Tarleton in five innings under the same criteria. Unfortunately for the Lopes, no runners were on base when senior third baseman Madison Schaefer, junior first baseman Kaitlyn Brannstrom and senior designated player Ramsay Lopez each hit a home run on Saturday.

Brannstrom led the Lopes offensively with two hits while junior Hailey Hudson and sophomore Meghan Golden combined on the pitching effort, allowing 10 hits and one walk with five strikeouts combined.

Despite entering the weekend with a stronger team batting average (.337) and earned run average (1.72), New Mexico State (.205, 6.96) matched or outhit GCU in each game of the series.

Although scoring in only two innings was enough to clinch the win in Las Cruces on Friday night, the Lopes are now 5-4 when their offensive momentum is confined to less than three innings and 2-2 when their opponent scores in three innings.

In what looked to be their third consecutive rubber match victory of the season, the Lopes' two-run lead slipped away with two outs and nobody on base in the bottom of the seventh. The Aggies used a home run, a walk and a walkoff home run for three runs to take the series.