Completed Event: Softball at Arizona State on October 15, 2025 ,
Softball
at Arizona State
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Friday, April 14
Phoenix, Ariz.
4:30 p.m.
Grand Canyon
32-8, 0
13
vs
11
Utah Tech
24-14, 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
R
H
E
Utah Tech
1
3
0
2
0
1
3
1
0
0
0
11
18
2
Grand Canyon
4
4
1
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
2
13
14
4
Friday features 2 walk-off types, Fifield's record night
4/15/2023 9:51:00 AM | Softball
Dunckel, Villalobos end wins at plate; Fifield breaks GCU all-time home run record, ties all-time single-season mark
The Grand Canyon softball program (33-8, 9-5 WAC) won the opening pair of a WAC series for the first time this season with two types of walk-off victories against Utah Tech (24-15, 9-5 WAC) on Friday night at GCU Softall Stadium.
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With junior shortstop Katelyn Dunckel's 11th-inning home run in the first game and a run-rule ending to the second victory, the Lopes are tied for first place in the conference with Utah Tech and California Baptist (25-17, 9-5 WAC)Â but lead the WAC in overall win percentage (.805). GCU has won four consecutive games.Â
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Despite being outhit 18 to 14 and posting more errors than Utah Tech, the Lopes overpowered the Trailblazers, recording four home runs and a season-high three double plays. The last homer came with two outs and one on when Dunckel smashed a home run to left field for the 13-11 walk-off win.
GCU spent most of the doubleheader opener in the driver's seat, only briefly trailing when Utah Tech scored one in the top of the first, which was quickly answered with four Lopes runs, and one in the top of the eighth, which was immediately matched with a solo home run from senior designated player Ramsay Lopez. Lopez has totaled 13 home runs on the season.Â
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Senior right fielder Kristin Fifield started the night off with a bang, clocking her 13th home run of the season and 36th home run of her career. The blast over the right-field wall broke the GCU all-time home run record and put the Lopes' first two runs of the board.Â
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GCU assembled eight runs in the first two innings as senior catcher Kinsey Koeltzow tallied two RBIs in the bottom of the first with a single to center field, Fifield posted her third RBI of the night with a single up the middle, and junior left fielder Kayla Rodgers doubled to left center to bring in two additional runs for an 8-4 lead.
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By the bottom of the fifth, GCU was up 10-6 with a base hit and skilled base running by senior center fielder Hannah Burnett, and a solo home run by senior second baseman Macee Barnes.Â
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As extra innings ensued, the Lopes kept their composure, holding Utah Tech scoreless in the ninth, with a fly out and back-to-back strikeouts by senior Ariel Thompson, the winning pitcher, despite a leadoff triple. The Lopes also forced three-and-outs in top of the 10th and 11th innings.Â
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Thompson, junior Hailey Hudson and sophomore Emily Darwin combined for 185 pitches, nine strikeouts and four walks in the circle.Â
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GCU dismantled Utah Tech's offensive momentum after the second inning, holding the Trailblazers to only four hits and forcing four scoreless innings. Sophomore pitcher Meghan Golden, now 9-1, pitched her fifth complete game of the season, tallying seven strikeouts and four walks.Â
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Although the Lopes struck first with an RBI from senior third baseman Madison Schaefer, Utah Tech answered with two runs in the top of the second to tie the game.
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With a Fifield single down the right-field line, an RBI from junior first baseman Kaitlyn Brannstrom and a two-run Schaefer home run, the Lopes were back in business with a 5-2 lead in the third inning.
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After an up-and-down fourth inning for the Trailblazers, Burnett tripled to right center and was brought home with Fifield's second home run of the night in the fourth inning. Fifield tied the single-season home run record (14) after she also matched this feat last season.Â
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Leading 7-2 in the bottom of the fifth, Koeltzow singled to the shortstop, Barnes reached on a Utah Tech error, and Dunckel pushed a sacrifice bunt to advance Koeltzow and Barnes to second and third, respectively. Lopes head coach Shanon Hays made a lineup substitution mid-count (1-1) to replace Burnett with senior pinch hitter Annie Villalobos.Â
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Sitting at 2-1, Villalobos picked her pitch and sent a three-run, walk-off home run out of the park to clinch a run-run victory and the series for the Lopes; This marks Villalobos' second game-ending homer of the season, after etching her first against Abilene Christian in another run-rule win on March 10.
GCU will continue competing for its first WAC series sweep of the season in the series finale on Saturday at 1 p.m. (Phoenix time).Â
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With junior shortstop Katelyn Dunckel's 11th-inning home run in the first game and a run-rule ending to the second victory, the Lopes are tied for first place in the conference with Utah Tech and California Baptist (25-17, 9-5 WAC)Â but lead the WAC in overall win percentage (.805). GCU has won four consecutive games.Â
Fifield becomes GCU career home run leader Â
The Lopes opened the series with a 13-11, 11-inning victory lasting 4 hours and 15 minutes, the longest game in GCU's Division I history, lasting 45 minutes longer than the previous record-long game in February 2022.ÂÂ
Despite being outhit 18 to 14 and posting more errors than Utah Tech, the Lopes overpowered the Trailblazers, recording four home runs and a season-high three double plays. The last homer came with two outs and one on when Dunckel smashed a home run to left field for the 13-11 walk-off win.
GCU spent most of the doubleheader opener in the driver's seat, only briefly trailing when Utah Tech scored one in the top of the first, which was quickly answered with four Lopes runs, and one in the top of the eighth, which was immediately matched with a solo home run from senior designated player Ramsay Lopez. Lopez has totaled 13 home runs on the season.Â
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Senior right fielder Kristin Fifield started the night off with a bang, clocking her 13th home run of the season and 36th home run of her career. The blast over the right-field wall broke the GCU all-time home run record and put the Lopes' first two runs of the board.Â
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GCU assembled eight runs in the first two innings as senior catcher Kinsey Koeltzow tallied two RBIs in the bottom of the first with a single to center field, Fifield posted her third RBI of the night with a single up the middle, and junior left fielder Kayla Rodgers doubled to left center to bring in two additional runs for an 8-4 lead.
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By the bottom of the fifth, GCU was up 10-6 with a base hit and skilled base running by senior center fielder Hannah Burnett, and a solo home run by senior second baseman Macee Barnes.Â
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As extra innings ensued, the Lopes kept their composure, holding Utah Tech scoreless in the ninth, with a fly out and back-to-back strikeouts by senior Ariel Thompson, the winning pitcher, despite a leadoff triple. The Lopes also forced three-and-outs in top of the 10th and 11th innings.Â
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Thompson, junior Hailey Hudson and sophomore Emily Darwin combined for 185 pitches, nine strikeouts and four walks in the circle.Â
Lopes clinch WAC series with run-rule win
With an early tie, Lopes fans buckled up for a potential all-nighter but were pleased to witness a 10-2 GCU, run-rule victory in five innings to conclude the evening.ÂÂ
GCU dismantled Utah Tech's offensive momentum after the second inning, holding the Trailblazers to only four hits and forcing four scoreless innings. Sophomore pitcher Meghan Golden, now 9-1, pitched her fifth complete game of the season, tallying seven strikeouts and four walks.Â
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Although the Lopes struck first with an RBI from senior third baseman Madison Schaefer, Utah Tech answered with two runs in the top of the second to tie the game.
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With a Fifield single down the right-field line, an RBI from junior first baseman Kaitlyn Brannstrom and a two-run Schaefer home run, the Lopes were back in business with a 5-2 lead in the third inning.
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After an up-and-down fourth inning for the Trailblazers, Burnett tripled to right center and was brought home with Fifield's second home run of the night in the fourth inning. Fifield tied the single-season home run record (14) after she also matched this feat last season.Â
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Leading 7-2 in the bottom of the fifth, Koeltzow singled to the shortstop, Barnes reached on a Utah Tech error, and Dunckel pushed a sacrifice bunt to advance Koeltzow and Barnes to second and third, respectively. Lopes head coach Shanon Hays made a lineup substitution mid-count (1-1) to replace Burnett with senior pinch hitter Annie Villalobos.Â
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Sitting at 2-1, Villalobos picked her pitch and sent a three-run, walk-off home run out of the park to clinch a run-run victory and the series for the Lopes; This marks Villalobos' second game-ending homer of the season, after etching her first against Abilene Christian in another run-rule win on March 10.
GCU will continue competing for its first WAC series sweep of the season in the series finale on Saturday at 1 p.m. (Phoenix time).Â
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Thompson, Ariel (8-3)
L: Attlyn Johnston (7-5)
Batting:
2B: Hannah Hughbanks 1 ; Oaklee Trapp 1
3B: Shea Clements 1
HR: LB Kahahawai-Kekona 1
RBI: Tanya Windle 2 ; LB Kahahawai-Kekona 2 ; Lauren Almeida 1 ; Hannah Hughbanks 1 ; Rachel Campbell 2 ; Brooklyn Dowdle 1
SH: Brooklyn Dowdle 1
SF: Lauren Almeida 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Tanya Windle 1 ; LB Kahahawai-Kekona 2 ; Shea Clements 1 ; Lauren Almeida 1 ; Sadie Gardner 1 ; Oaklee Trapp 3 ; Carly Eldredge 1 ; Brooklyn Dowdle 1
SB: Tanya Windle 1
HBP: Tanya Windle 1 ; Oaklee Trapp 1
Batting:
2B: Rodgers, Kayla 1
HR: Dunckel, Katelyn 1 ; Fifield, Kristin 1 ; Lopez, Ramsay 1 ; Barnes, Macee 1
RBI: Dunckel, Katelyn 2 ; Fifield, Kristin 3 ; Lopez, Ramsay 1 ; Rodgers, Kayla 2 ; Koeltzow, Kinsey 2 ; Barnes, Macee 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Dunckel, Katelyn 1 ; Rodrigues, Emma 1 ; Burnett, Hannah 3 ; Fifield, Kristin 2 ; Lopez, Ramsay 2 ; Lutu, Leinani 1 ; Schaefer, Madison 1 ; Barnes, Macee 2
SB: Burnett, Hannah 2 ; Koeltzow, Kinsey 1 ; Thompson, Ariel 1
HBP: Brannstrom, Kaitlyn 1
Game Leaders
AB
7
R
1
H
3
RBI
2
cf/pr
AB
3
R
3
H
2
RBI
0
AB
6
R
2
H
2
RBI
3
AB
6
R
0
H
2
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
IF
/ Softball
UTIL
/ SoftballUTIL
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballIF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
IF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
C
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