Hits keep coming for GCU's 8th consecutive win

Saturday, April 6

Phoenix, Ariz.

1 p.m.

Grand Canyon

33-8, 12-2

UT Arlington

14-24, 5-6

UT Arlington

Grand Canyon

Photo by: Wesley Kurz

4/6/2024 4:44:00 PM | Softball, Paul Coro

Box Score

Lopes tally 37 hits in WAC series sweep for 1st time ever

By: Paul Coro

When Grand Canyon softball is on its game, it rattles off routs as it did in the first seven games of its eight-game winning streak.

The Lopes' eighth consecutive win was just as ominous for the teams chasing them in the WAC. Not at its overall best Saturday, GCU still hit at program-best levels this weekend to polish off a sweep of UT Arlington with a 6-3 win at GCU Softball Stadium.

The Lopes peppered the Mavericks with .474 series batting on 37 hits, their program high in a WAC sweep. In the past 10 years, GCU has only tallied at least 37 hits in any stretch of three consecutive wins once – last year's WAC Tournament championship run of 39 hits.

The Lopes (33-8, 12-2 WAC) matched their season high for doubles (six) that they set Friday night against UT Arlington and piled up double-digit hits for the seventh consecutive game. In the Lopes' Division I era since 2014, they had never posted double-digit hits in more than four consecutive games.

"We came out there with a different mentality and were head-on the entire game, wanting to win every inning, every at bat, every pitch," said GCU graduate right fielder Kristin Fifield, who doubled twice Saturday after homering twice Friday. "That's what has changed the past couple weekends. We were tired of losing that last game."

The Lopes pitchers allowed only their second and third earned runs of the three-game sweep and fought off a Mavericks sixth-inning threat with a potential tying run on base.

"Our pitching competed and gave us a chance," GCU head coach Shanon Hays said. "The real key game for us was the second game (Friday night) when they started (Jessica) Adams. Us having a huge six-run first inning against a top-notch pitcher like her was big."

Offensive fireworks are frequent for the Lopes, who were averaging nine runs per game during the previous seven consecutive victories. They had opportunities to do as much Saturday with a 13-hit day, but they left six runners in scoring position.

GCU still took the lead for good in the second inning, when senior shortstop Katelyn Dunckel blooped a single to right field for a 3-2 lead after senior left fielder Kayla Rodgers' ripped single and freshman second baseman Savannah Groshong-Kirk's perfect bunt single set the table.

Just as junior Meghan Golden and senior Hailey Hudson did for the two first two wins, junior pitcher Emily Darwin delivered a quality start. Darwin moved to 6-1 this season and dropped her season ERA to 2.02 with one earned run allowed over four innings. Rodgers assisted on a 7-6-5 putout at third base to help Darwin with the fourth inning's second out.

Fifield, last season's national RBI leader, knocked in runs in the first, fourth and sixth innings Saturday. She had her first two-double game of the season and teamed with Dunckel and graduate first baseman Ashley Trierweiler at the top of the order to go 8 for 11 with four doubles cumulatively.

Moving Trierweiler to first base and returning Fifield to right field made room for junior Makaiya Gomez in center field. Since March 10, the South Mountain Community College transfer is hitting .455 after a 7-for-10 series against UT Arlington.

"She's just good at everything," Hays said of Gomez. "She's a steady, talented player. A good athlete. A good lefthanded bat. A really good center fielder. Her being so good in center changed our team because it allowed us to put Trierweiler at first, and she's been phenomenal at first. Putting a great athlete like that at 6-1 at first has been key to turning our defense up a level."

A 7-for-11 weekend put Trierweiler back in the national top 20 for batting average at .456.

Even playing with a lead for the final five innings, the GCU pitchers averted rally tries. Senior Ariel Thompson left the bases loaded in the fifth inning and handled a hot comebacker to keep the Mavericks from cutting the lead to one in the sixth inning. Graduate Megan Schumacher handled the final inning in order for the second consecutive game.

The Lopes get a chance to boost their rising RPI rating (No. 73 entering the weekend) more with a 6 p.m. Wednesday game against Oregon (No. 35 entering the weekend) at GCU Softball Stadium.

"Coming into this year, we tried to play big midweek games with Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon and Oregon State," Hays said. "It's going to be tough, but it's great for our RPI and it gives us an opportunity to be exposed against another really good program. Hopefully, we come out ready to rock."