Rally falls just shy in attempt to sweep Utah Tech

Saturday, April 15

Phoenix, Ariz.

1 p.m.

Grand Canyon

33-9, 0

Utah Tech

25-15, 0

Utah Tech

Grand Canyon

Photo by: Garrett Ohrenberg

4/15/2023 5:08:00 PM | Softball, Paul Coro

Box Score

Trailblazers break 1st-place tie with Lopes despite GCU's 35-hit series

By: Paul Coro

AAfter wiping out a two-game gap at the top of the WAC softball standings in one night, Grand Canyon could do the same when it was playing from behind in the bottom half of every inning Saturday.

GCU's chase to return to the top of the conference that it won last season will have to wait for the final three weeks of the regular season and/or the WAC Tournament on its field. Utah Tech reclaimed first place by holding on to a 6-5 victory in the series finale at GCU Softball Stadium.

The Lopes (33-9, 9-6 WAC) have posted four consecutive double-digit hitting games for the first time since 2016 but their seventh-inning rally wound up a hit shy Saturday.

GCU won the series to close the gap on Utah Tech (25-15, 10-5 WAC) by hitting .343 against a Trailblazers staff that went from allowing six runs in a series against Seattle U to 28 in the series at GCU.

"It would've been nice to be in the game and be in first place, but now we're still trying to climb up their backs," said Lopes head coach Shanon Hays, whose team is tied for second with California Baptist. "There's a lot of parity in our league this year. Finishing in the top two and getting a (two-round) bye is huge because anybody can beat you. Compared to last year, the conference is so much better.

"We didn't do enough today to beat a good team. We got off to a bad start. When you're always playing from behind, that's a lot of pressure."

Coming off scoring 23 runs in Friday night's doubleheader sweep, the Lopes were held to one run in Saturday's first three innings but wound up with the potential tying run 60 feet away.

On a 2-for-3 day with a walk, GCU senior designated player Ramsay Lopez plated the first run when her two-out, first-inning fly ball was lost in the sun.

Hays tried to bring back sophomore Meghan Golden for the Lopes start after pitching all five innings of the run-rule Game 2 win on Friday night. Golden was replaced in the second inning, when Utah Tech made its lead 3-1, before stretching it to 4-1 in the fourth.

GCU cut the margin to 4-3 in the fourth inning on a RBI single from junior left fielder Kayla Rodgers, who came from an 0-2 count for a full-count hit, and a smoked RBI double to right by junior pinch-hitter C.C. Wong. Rodgers, a Yavapai (Arizona) College transfer, went 5 for 12 in the series to lift her batting average to .358.

"Our biggest thing this weekend was keeping our energy up, even through that 11-inning games," Rodgers said. "We battled today through the seventh inning even though we came up short. Going to the WAC, this does show we're a team to be reckoned with."

Utah Tech maintained its lead by stretching it to 6-3 in the sixth inning.

Senior center fielder Hannah Burnett (3 for 4), senior right fielder Kristin Fifield and Lopez hit consecutive one-hit singles to make it a 6-4 game with one out and the tying runs on base. Junior first baseman Kaitlyn Brannstrom trimmed the lead to 6-4 with a RBI sacrifice fly before the game ended on senior third fielder Madison Schaefer's pop-up.

"It was nice to flex our muscles yesterday offensively," Hays said of wins on Dunckel's 11th-inning, walk-off home run in Game 1 and a run-rule victory in Game 2. "Five runs should be enough to win, but we had a lot more in us today."

In addition to Rodgers' five hits, Fifield had a 5-for-13 series, and Burnett went 7 for 10 to hit a team-best .395 for the season.

GCU has a busy schedule this week with the rescheduled game at Arizona State on Tuesday night, a locally televised home game with Arizona on Wednesday night and a home weekend series against Seattle U starting Friday.

"Playing two top-30 teams back-to-back isn't easy and it's hard on your pitching," Hays said. "It's going to be a challenge, but this is a fun series for ASU, us and U of A as well."