Scrappy effort ends in loss to No. 20 Ducks

Wednesday, April 10

Phoenix, Ariz.

6 p.m.

Grand Canyon

33-9, 0

Oregon

23-13, 0

Oregon

Grand Canyon

Photo by: Wesley Kurz

4/10/2024 9:39:00 PM | Softball, Paul Coro

Box Score

GCU trailed 4-0 before an out but had rallies squelched by critical calls

By: Paul Coro

Grand Canyon was trailing 4-0 to No. 20 Oregon before an out was recorded Wednesday night.

The night could have turned much worse than a loss, but the Lopes dug in with four innings of one-hit pitching from senior Hailey Hudson and challenged the Ducks before fading into a 9-4 loss at GCU Softball Stadium.

Hudson silenced an Oregon team that is hitting .316 on the season while the Lopes broke back into the game in the fourth and fifth innings, although their threats were minimized by questionable calls.

GCU (33-9) did not get a hit for the first three innings, but graduates Kristin Fifield and Ramsay Lopez picked up a walk and a single, respectively, in the fourth.

With two outs and those two on base, Lopes senior left fielder Kayla Rodgers blasted a 1-2 pitch to deep right center field, where the Lopes thought they had a home run.

The umpire ruled that the ball returned to the field off the wall instead of the netting, giving Rodgers a two-run double that halved Oregon's lead to 4-2. Rodgers reached base in all three appearances, raising her season batting average to .372.

After the Ducks moved ahead 5-2 in the top of the fifth inning, GCU freshman catcher Tinley Lucas started the bottom half with a single to center field, The Lopes thought they had two runners on base with nobody out when sophomore Brynn-Jordan Smythe hit the ball into the dirt and beat out a throw.

But Smythe was called back for a foul ball and then hit into a double play, denying the top of the Lopes order from having a shot at a two-on, no-out rally.

"We know we've got a good team," GCU head coach Shanon Hays said. "We know things can go the other way once in a while. One of the things we talk about a lot is when the tide goes against you, you've got to swim hard and try to change it. It's important to gain some momentum early in the game. When you get behind an eight-ball, you only have two choices. We chose to fight back, so I was proud of that."

Oregon (23-13) was prepped well for Lopes right-handed starter Meghan Golden, getting two singles before a wild pitch on a slip scored the first run and back-to-back home runs followed.

Hailey Hudson

Hudson entered and did not allow a hit until a leadoff single in her fourth inning, when she stranded the runner there with two pop-ups and her third strikeout.

"When I'm out there, I'm 10 times more focused because I just want to get those hitters so bad," said Hudson, the College Station, Texas, native who lowered her season ERA to 2.43. "There were a few times when I should've got really hyped but I didn't. I was so dialed into the situations that I don't get super-excited, even though I am."

Hudson mixed her drop ball and rise ball effectively to record her second consecutive outing of four shutout innings. She has eight strikeouts in those eight innings.

"This gave us a good look at what a (NCAA) regional is going to look like for us," Hudson said.

Oregon ballooned the lead to 9-2 in the seventh inning with its third home run (Ducks first baseman Alyssa Daniell's second of the game. The Lopes put a final dent in the margin when Lucas clobbered a two-run, two-out home run to center field. It was Lucas' third home run and third two-hit game, the last of which came on March 9 at Long Beach State.

"Tinley's talent is waiting to explode," Hays said. "It's good to see her have good swings against really good pitching."

GCU will get another crack at a Pac-12 opponent next Tuesday when Arizona State visits GCU Softball Stadium. Before then, the Lopes leave Thursday for a return to conference play at Tarleton State with a Friday doubleheader and Saturday finale. The Lopes are 12-2 in WAC action with eight consecutive conference wins and a two-game lead on second-place California Baptist.