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 4
Phoenix, Ariz.
1 p.m.
Grand Canyon
45-11, 23-3
10
vs
2
Abilene Christian
16-33, 8-19
1
2
3
4
5
R
H
E
Abilene Christian
0
0
0
2
0
2
3
2
Grand Canyon
4
1
4
1
X
10
12
0
Photo by: Sebastian Molinar
Lopes sweep final WAC series on Senior Day
5/4/2024 4:00:00 PM | Softball
WAC champions defeat Abilene Christian by run rule in 5 innings
Grand Canyon gave its 10 seniors a proper home sendoff, scoring in every inning of a 10-2, run-rule win Saturday at GCU Softball Stadium to complete a series sweep in five innings against Abilene Christian. GCU improved to 30-7 at home and swept six of its eight WAC series of the season to win the regular-season championship by five games and earn the conference tournament's No. 1 seed.
The Lopes (45-11, 23-3 WAC) combined for 12 hits, led by graduate first baseman Ashley Trierweiler (2 for 3), graduate right fielder Kristin Fifield (2 for 3), senior shortstop Katelyn Dunckel (2 for 2) and freshman Savannah Groshong-Kirk (2 for 3). Fifield, Dunckel and junior third baseman Lovey Kepa'a each notched two RBIs as well.Â
Senior pitcher Ariel Thompson, now 8-1 on the season, picked up her 41st win of her three-year GCU career, throwing four strikeouts and allowing only three hits against just 18 Wildcat hitters as the Lopes took care of business defensively with no errors.Â
Trierweiler led off the bottom of the first with a double to left center and scored on a Fifield double to left field to put the Lopes on the board. Graduate designated player Ramsay Lopez walked before she and Fifield both moved into scoring position on a wild pitch before Dunckel's double to center field for a 4-0 lead.Â
In the bottom of the second, Fifield posted her 12th home run of the season and 56th of her career for a 5-0 lead, extending her GCU single-season and career home runs records for a 5-0 Lopes score.
By the end of the third inning, the Lopes had scored nine unanswered runs with a Gomez RBI triple, an RBI single from senior catcher Mikaela Payne and a two-run home run by Kepa'a.Â
Abilene Christian (16-33, 8-19 WAC) plated two Wildcats in the top of the fourth with a home run by senior catcher Avery Miloch.Â
GCU notched its 10th and final run in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI bunt single by Kirk, built on a Lopez single, a Dunckel sacrifice bunt, a Gomez walk and an ACU wild pitch that advanced sophomore pinch runner Brynn-Jordan Smythe to third base.Â
The Lopes seek their third consecutive WAC Tournament championship next week in Seattle, which runs from Wednesday to Saturday's championship round.
The Lopes (45-11, 23-3 WAC) combined for 12 hits, led by graduate first baseman Ashley Trierweiler (2 for 3), graduate right fielder Kristin Fifield (2 for 3), senior shortstop Katelyn Dunckel (2 for 2) and freshman Savannah Groshong-Kirk (2 for 3). Fifield, Dunckel and junior third baseman Lovey Kepa'a each notched two RBIs as well.Â
Senior pitcher Ariel Thompson, now 8-1 on the season, picked up her 41st win of her three-year GCU career, throwing four strikeouts and allowing only three hits against just 18 Wildcat hitters as the Lopes took care of business defensively with no errors.Â
Trierweiler led off the bottom of the first with a double to left center and scored on a Fifield double to left field to put the Lopes on the board. Graduate designated player Ramsay Lopez walked before she and Fifield both moved into scoring position on a wild pitch before Dunckel's double to center field for a 4-0 lead.Â
In the bottom of the second, Fifield posted her 12th home run of the season and 56th of her career for a 5-0 lead, extending her GCU single-season and career home runs records for a 5-0 Lopes score.
By the end of the third inning, the Lopes had scored nine unanswered runs with a Gomez RBI triple, an RBI single from senior catcher Mikaela Payne and a two-run home run by Kepa'a.Â
Abilene Christian (16-33, 8-19 WAC) plated two Wildcats in the top of the fourth with a home run by senior catcher Avery Miloch.Â
GCU notched its 10th and final run in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI bunt single by Kirk, built on a Lopez single, a Dunckel sacrifice bunt, a Gomez walk and an ACU wild pitch that advanced sophomore pinch runner Brynn-Jordan Smythe to third base.Â
The Lopes seek their third consecutive WAC Tournament championship next week in Seattle, which runs from Wednesday to Saturday's championship round.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Thompson, Ariel (8-1)
L: Beeman, Ella (4-8)
Batting:
HR: Miloch, Avery 1
RBI: Miloch, Avery 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Martinez, Isabel 1 ; Miloch, Avery 1
SB: Marble, Olivia 1
Batting:
2B: Trierweiler, Ashley 1 ; Fifield, Kristin 1 ; Dunckel, Katelyn 1
3B: Gomez, Makaiya 1
HR: Fifield, Kristin 1 ; Kepa’a, Lovey 1
RBI: Fifield, Kristin 2 ; Dunckel, Katelyn 2 ; Gomez, Makaiya 1 ; Kirk, Savannah 1 ; Payne, Mikaela 1 ; Kepa’a, Lovey 2
SH: Dunckel, Katelyn 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Trierweiler, Ashley 1 ; Fifield, Kristin 2 ; Lopez, Ramsay 1 ; Smythe, Brynn-Jordan 1 ; Dunckel, Katelyn 2 ; Gomez, Makaiya 1 ; Wolsky, Haley 1 ; Kepa’a, Lovey 1
SB: Gomez, Makaiya 1 ; Kirk, Savannah 2 ; Wolsky, Haley 2
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
2
AB
2
R
2
H
2
RBI
2
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
IF
/ SoftballUTIL
/ Softball
IF
/ SoftballUTIL
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballOF
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