Run-rule, walk-off wins sweep doubleheader

Friday, April 19

Phoenix, Ariz.

4:30 p.m.

Grand Canyon

38-9, 16-2

Southern Utah

17-22, 6-11

Southern Utah

Grand Canyon

Photo by: Jayden Todd

4/19/2024 10:39:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Photo Gallery

GCU's Lopez, Dunckel seal WAC series victory for Lopes

By: Adrianna Candelaria

Grand Canyon swept its seventh WAC doubleheader of the season Friday night with a run-rule opening win and a walk-off nightcap victory against Southern at GCU Softball Stadium, where its seventh straight WAC series victory and sixth consecutive win maintained its commanding four-game conference lead.

Lopez ends 1st win in 6th inning

The Lopes scored in five of six innings against the Thunderbirds to ultimately shut out Southern Utah 8-0 with a sixth-inning RBI single by graduate designated player Ramsay Lopez.

Junior WAC Co-Pitcher of the Year Meghan Golden earned her 10th win in the circle this season, throwing five innings, in which she only allowed three hits and one walk with two strikeouts.

Graduate first baseman Ashley Trierweiler led the Lopes with her eighth three-hit game of the season fourth three-RBI game. She has 21 multi-hit games and seven multi-RBI games in her first GCU season.

In the bottom of the third, Lopez notched her 13th home run of the season to put the Lopes ahead 3-0. That was followed by a solo home run from senior left fielder Kayla Rodgers in the fifth for a 5-0 GCU lead.

The Lopes picked up three runs in the bottom of the sixth, with a two-RBI single by Trierweiler and Lopez's walk-off RBI single.

Dunckel double wins it in 8th

GCU (39-9, 17-2 WAC) walked off the Friday nightcap against Southern Utah with an RBI double by senior shortstop Katelyn Dunckel in the eighth inning.

Dunckel notched the Lopes' first and final runs of Game 2, when Southern Utah scored first but was quickly answered with a Dunckel RBI single in the bottom of the second. The Lopes are 7-6 on the season when their opponent scores first and 3-0 in extra innings.

GCU added insurance runs in the third and fourth frames, with a RBI double from graduate right fielder Kristin Fifield and a RBI sacrifice fly from Trierweiler for a 3-1 lead.

Lopes senior pitcher Hailey Hudson, who picked up her 12th win of the season, began the seventh inning in the circle but was substituted for graduate Megan Schumacher after allowing two consecutive Thunderbirds on base. Schumacher was then shortly replaced by Hudson when Southern Utah scored two runs on one hit to tie the score at 3-3. A fired-up Hudson returned to the circle and finished the half-inning with two swinging strikeouts.

In the top of the eighth, Hudson notched two additional strikeouts, giving her nine in the game, and Southern Utah stranded a runner who had reached on an error.

With one out in the bottom of the eighth, junior center fielder Makaiya Gomez boarded the bases on a hit by pitch, and was driven home by a Dunckel's RBI double to clinch the series.

The Lopes return to GCU Softball Stadium on Saturday at 1 p.m. for the series finale against Southern Utah.