Upcoming Event: Softball versus Pima CC on September 30, 2025 at 6 p.m.
Softball
6 p.m.
vs Pima CC
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Saturday, May 20
Los Angeles, Calif.
2 p.m.
Grand Canyon
47-12
0
vs
6
San Diego State
37-15
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Grand Canyon
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
1
San Diego State
3
2
0
0
1
0
X
6
9
0
SDSU sends GCU to must-win regional game
5/20/2023 5:29:00 PM | Softball, Paul Coro
After being held to 2 hits, Lopes must beat UCLA-Liberty winner to stay alive
LOS ANGELES – The Grand Canyon magic dust from Friday night's nationally noticed win disintegrated in the Saturday sunlight, sending the Lopes to an NCAA regional elimination game Saturday night.
The Lopes may have to pull off beating No. 2 UCLA on consecutive nights to keep their season alive after taking a 6-0 loss to San Diego State. The Bruins play Liberty in a Saturday evening game with the winner playing GCU after a 35-minute break at Easton Stadium.
GCU (47-12) had a nine-game winning streak snapped by the Mountain West Tournament champion, which has posted four consecutive shutouts. The Lopes were held to two hits, which came consecutively to open the sixth inning before Aztecs pitcher Dee Dee Hernandez struck out the top of the Lopes' lineup in order.
To win the regional, GCU will have to win Saturday night and then win twice against San Diego State (37-15) on Sunday.
"We're playing as good of softball as we've played all year," Aztecs head coach Stacey Nuveman Deniz. "As a coach, we can't ask for anything more than that.
"Our offense is totally dialed in. We're putting pressure on the defense. We're running the bases well. We're getting the clutch hits when we need them. Two-out rallies, that's been amazing. And then our pitching staff's been lights out. We faced two really good offensive teams in two days and have yet to give up a run."
The Lopes were shut out for the second time this season (also by Washington on March 5) and held to two hits for the second time this season (also by Arizona on April 19).
San Diego State starting pitcher established the control over GCU's offense, which ranked fourth nationally in batting average entering the Los Angeles Regional. Lehman got ahead of Lopes batters and used her rise ball to pitch four no-hit innings with six strikeouts.
Meanwhile, the Aztecs' offense continued their momentum from a 7-0 Friday night win against Liberty by scoring five runs in the first two innings.
San Diego State took a 3-0 lead in the first inning against GCU junior starting pitcher Hailey Hudson. The threat began quietly with an infield single hit at Hudson and a walk before three singles up the middle and two fielder's choice grounders to second scored each of the five runs individually over the first two innings.
Lopes sophomore Emily Darwin relieved Hudson for two scoreless innings before Hudson returned for the final 2 1/3 innings, when San Diego State added its final run on second baseman Makena Brocki's first home run of the season.
After hitting .500 during its three-win WAC Tournament run, the Lopes are 5 for 46 in the regional after stunning UCLA on the strength of senior third baseman Madison Schaefer's three-run home run Friday.
The Lopes had other threats squelched when junior shortstop Katelyn Dunckel had third base stolen but overslid the bag for the final first-inning out and when Aztecs right fielder Jeweliana Perez made a running catch in fifth inning as she collided with center fielder Macey Keester on Schaefer's warning-track, right-center drive.
"When runners are on and (Kristin) Fifield's up, it's hold-your-breath time as a pitching coach," Nuveman Deniz said. "The thing about that lineup, though, is it's not just the top of the lineup. They threaten all the way through. We knew that coming in, so it was a matter of us keeping the mix, changing directions and trying to keep them guessing."
Because of rest and preparation for the night game, the NCAA does not have the early Saturday regional game's loser participate in the postgame press conference.
"I wasn't particularly surprised," Nuveman Deniz said of GCU becoming the first team to beat a No. 2 team in an NCAA regional since 2005. "I still think it's hard to do, coming into their (the Bruins') place. They (the Lopes) have good pitching, great hitting 1 through 9.
"It's been a dogfight. It's going to be a dogfight tomorrow. We know this, whoever ends up in the other dugout. Watching it, the Bruin in me was a little like, 'Mmm.' But the Aztec in me was like, 'Sweet, well done, GCU.' "
The Lopes may have to pull off beating No. 2 UCLA on consecutive nights to keep their season alive after taking a 6-0 loss to San Diego State. The Bruins play Liberty in a Saturday evening game with the winner playing GCU after a 35-minute break at Easton Stadium.
GCU (47-12) had a nine-game winning streak snapped by the Mountain West Tournament champion, which has posted four consecutive shutouts. The Lopes were held to two hits, which came consecutively to open the sixth inning before Aztecs pitcher Dee Dee Hernandez struck out the top of the Lopes' lineup in order.
To win the regional, GCU will have to win Saturday night and then win twice against San Diego State (37-15) on Sunday."We're playing as good of softball as we've played all year," Aztecs head coach Stacey Nuveman Deniz. "As a coach, we can't ask for anything more than that.
"Our offense is totally dialed in. We're putting pressure on the defense. We're running the bases well. We're getting the clutch hits when we need them. Two-out rallies, that's been amazing. And then our pitching staff's been lights out. We faced two really good offensive teams in two days and have yet to give up a run."
The Lopes were shut out for the second time this season (also by Washington on March 5) and held to two hits for the second time this season (also by Arizona on April 19).
San Diego State starting pitcher established the control over GCU's offense, which ranked fourth nationally in batting average entering the Los Angeles Regional. Lehman got ahead of Lopes batters and used her rise ball to pitch four no-hit innings with six strikeouts.
Meanwhile, the Aztecs' offense continued their momentum from a 7-0 Friday night win against Liberty by scoring five runs in the first two innings.
San Diego State took a 3-0 lead in the first inning against GCU junior starting pitcher Hailey Hudson. The threat began quietly with an infield single hit at Hudson and a walk before three singles up the middle and two fielder's choice grounders to second scored each of the five runs individually over the first two innings.
Lopes sophomore Emily Darwin relieved Hudson for two scoreless innings before Hudson returned for the final 2 1/3 innings, when San Diego State added its final run on second baseman Makena Brocki's first home run of the season.After hitting .500 during its three-win WAC Tournament run, the Lopes are 5 for 46 in the regional after stunning UCLA on the strength of senior third baseman Madison Schaefer's three-run home run Friday.
The Lopes had other threats squelched when junior shortstop Katelyn Dunckel had third base stolen but overslid the bag for the final first-inning out and when Aztecs right fielder Jeweliana Perez made a running catch in fifth inning as she collided with center fielder Macey Keester on Schaefer's warning-track, right-center drive.
"When runners are on and (Kristin) Fifield's up, it's hold-your-breath time as a pitching coach," Nuveman Deniz said. "The thing about that lineup, though, is it's not just the top of the lineup. They threaten all the way through. We knew that coming in, so it was a matter of us keeping the mix, changing directions and trying to keep them guessing."
Because of rest and preparation for the night game, the NCAA does not have the early Saturday regional game's loser participate in the postgame press conference.
"I wasn't particularly surprised," Nuveman Deniz said of GCU becoming the first team to beat a No. 2 team in an NCAA regional since 2005. "I still think it's hard to do, coming into their (the Bruins') place. They (the Lopes) have good pitching, great hitting 1 through 9.
"It's been a dogfight. It's going to be a dogfight tomorrow. We know this, whoever ends up in the other dugout. Watching it, the Bruin in me was a little like, 'Mmm.' But the Aztec in me was like, 'Sweet, well done, GCU.' "
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: LEHMAN, Sarah (11-4)
L: Hudson, Hailey (11-3)
Base Running:
CS: Dunckel, Katelyn 1
Batting:
3B: BARBARA, Mac 1
HR: BROCKI, Makena 1
RBI: BARBARA, Mac 1 ; CELIS, Jillian 1 ; DECKER, Cali 2 ; BROCKI, Makena 2
Base Running:
RUNS: ESPINOZA, Bella 2 ; BARBARA, Mac 1 ; CELIS, Jillian 1 ; BROCKI, Makena 1 ; DUEKER, Ally 1
SB: ESPINOZA, Bella 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
P
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
IF
/ SoftballNew Hardware Install | Softball
Friday, August 08
Alexis Soto | on her Christian Faith
Monday, July 07
Briah Williams | Christian Faith
Monday, July 07
Alexis Soto | Ephesians 3:20
Monday, July 07