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
Friday, February 21
Phoenix, Ariz.
4 p.m.
Grand Canyon
11-2
9
vs
0
Portland State
3-9
1
2
3
4
5
R
H
E
Portland State
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
2
Grand Canyon
5
0
3
1
X
9
8
1
Photo by: Nate Cochran
Lopes dominate Friday night doubleheader
2/21/2025 10:21:00 PM | Softball
Bats come alive in run-rule victories over Portland State, Iowa State
Grand Canyon plainly and simply dominated Friday night's doubleheader, beating Portland State 9-0 and Iowa State 11-3 at GCU Softball Stadium.
Coming off a 3-0 win over crosstown rival Arizona State on Tuesday night, GCU (12-2) got major support from its bats with 20 runs between the two games, including a season-high 11 against Iowa State.
Golden started in the circle, allowing one hit over four innings. She moved to 4-0 on the season and lowered her ERA to 1.31. Golden has gone three straight starts without allowing a run (13 1/3 innings).
The scoring started early and often with the Lopes hitting through the lineup in the bottom of the first inning. Sophomore second baseman Savannah Kirk, junior center fielder Sydney McCray and graduate right fielder Makaiya Gomez, the usual trio atop the GCU lineup, all singled with Gomez';s hit scoring Kirk. Senior third baseman Lovey Kepa'a eventually cleared the bases with her second career triple at GCU. Her triple down the right-field line scored two runners, giving the Lopes a five-run first.Â
GCU shortstop Mackenzie Nolan's two-RBI single up the middle in the third helped the Lopes score three more in the inning. Lopes catcher Tinley Lucas hammered her third home run of the season in the fourth inning for some run-rule insurance. The pair of sophomores have developed into everyday players for GCU in their second seasons.
The Lopes made history over Portland State with their baserunning. seven GCU players stole eight bags in the five-inning contest, setting a Division I-era program record. McCray swiped two. The previous high was seven stolen bases in GCU's win over Memphis in February of 2024. The Lopes stole eight bases one other time in the program's history, dating back to a 2010 Â blowout win over Dominican.
GCU senior right-hander Emily Darwin closed out the win in 1-2-3 fashion in the top of the fifth inning to give the Lopes the run-rule win over the Vikings.
The Lopes once again got right to work, scoring a pair of runs in the first inning off junior first baseman Emily Gonzalez's single that scored Kirk and McCray. From the cleanup spot, Gonzalez knocked in four runs with her first three-hit game of the season to raise her batting average to .333 on the season.
The third inning put the game away for good with the Lopes racking up single-inning season highs for runs (eight) and hits (seven). The inning was highlighted by freshman designated player Jada Cooper's two-run home run off the top of the new left-field scoreboard and a pinch-hit, three-run homer from sophomore Alina Satcher.
Satcher, also a pitcher, is developing into a true two-way player. When she stepped to the plate in the third inning on Friday night, she was still seeking her first collegiate hit after primarily serving as a back-end reliever in her first season.Â
The Houston native took an 0-1 pitch deep to right field for an opposite-field bomb that marked her first college hit in her fourth career at bat.
With a 7-0 lead after the second home run of the inning, the Lopes were not quite done. They put together three more hits, including Kirk's bunt single in a 2-for-4 game that moved her jaw-dropping batting average to .479 on the season. Gonzalez's third hit and Lucas' double off the left-center wall brought the GCU lead to 10-0 after three innings.
In the circle, Lopes junior Taryn Batterton made her fifth start of the year. She went a solid four innings, dominating the first three and allowing three runs in the top half of the fourth. Batterton moved to 4-1 on the season, tying her with Golden and sophomore Maggie Place for the team high in wins.
Place flew through the Cyclones order in the fifth and sixth innings, facing the minimum six batters in 11 pitches with one strikeout..
In the bottom of the sixth inning, GCU senior third baseman Lovey Kepa'a took the lead to eight by launching a solo home run to left field for the run-rule win over Iowa State. The home run was GCU's fourth of the night and third of the game.
The Lopes have their biggest test of the season Saturday at GCU Softball Stadium, where No. 3 Florida will battle GCUÂ at 6:30 p.m. (Phoenix time).
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Coming off a 3-0 win over crosstown rival Arizona State on Tuesday night, GCU (12-2) got major support from its bats with 20 runs between the two games, including a season-high 11 against Iowa State.
Game 1: GCU beats Portland State 9-0
The Lopes claimed their 11th win of the season with a 9-0, run-rule win over Portland State in five innings behind more efficient pitching from senior Meghan Golden, historic baserunning and a first-inning offensive outpouring.Golden started in the circle, allowing one hit over four innings. She moved to 4-0 on the season and lowered her ERA to 1.31. Golden has gone three straight starts without allowing a run (13 1/3 innings).
The scoring started early and often with the Lopes hitting through the lineup in the bottom of the first inning. Sophomore second baseman Savannah Kirk, junior center fielder Sydney McCray and graduate right fielder Makaiya Gomez, the usual trio atop the GCU lineup, all singled with Gomez';s hit scoring Kirk. Senior third baseman Lovey Kepa'a eventually cleared the bases with her second career triple at GCU. Her triple down the right-field line scored two runners, giving the Lopes a five-run first.Â
GCU shortstop Mackenzie Nolan's two-RBI single up the middle in the third helped the Lopes score three more in the inning. Lopes catcher Tinley Lucas hammered her third home run of the season in the fourth inning for some run-rule insurance. The pair of sophomores have developed into everyday players for GCU in their second seasons.
The Lopes made history over Portland State with their baserunning. seven GCU players stole eight bags in the five-inning contest, setting a Division I-era program record. McCray swiped two. The previous high was seven stolen bases in GCU's win over Memphis in February of 2024. The Lopes stole eight bases one other time in the program's history, dating back to a 2010 Â blowout win over Dominican.
GCU senior right-hander Emily Darwin closed out the win in 1-2-3 fashion in the top of the fifth inning to give the Lopes the run-rule win over the Vikings.
Game 2:Â GCU beats Iowa State 11-3
GCU smoked three home runs and 12 hits in an eye-opening, 11-3 nightcap victory over Iowa State on Friday night.The Lopes once again got right to work, scoring a pair of runs in the first inning off junior first baseman Emily Gonzalez's single that scored Kirk and McCray. From the cleanup spot, Gonzalez knocked in four runs with her first three-hit game of the season to raise her batting average to .333 on the season.
The third inning put the game away for good with the Lopes racking up single-inning season highs for runs (eight) and hits (seven). The inning was highlighted by freshman designated player Jada Cooper's two-run home run off the top of the new left-field scoreboard and a pinch-hit, three-run homer from sophomore Alina Satcher.
Satcher, also a pitcher, is developing into a true two-way player. When she stepped to the plate in the third inning on Friday night, she was still seeking her first collegiate hit after primarily serving as a back-end reliever in her first season.Â
The Houston native took an 0-1 pitch deep to right field for an opposite-field bomb that marked her first college hit in her fourth career at bat.
With a 7-0 lead after the second home run of the inning, the Lopes were not quite done. They put together three more hits, including Kirk's bunt single in a 2-for-4 game that moved her jaw-dropping batting average to .479 on the season. Gonzalez's third hit and Lucas' double off the left-center wall brought the GCU lead to 10-0 after three innings.
In the circle, Lopes junior Taryn Batterton made her fifth start of the year. She went a solid four innings, dominating the first three and allowing three runs in the top half of the fourth. Batterton moved to 4-1 on the season, tying her with Golden and sophomore Maggie Place for the team high in wins.
Place flew through the Cyclones order in the fifth and sixth innings, facing the minimum six batters in 11 pitches with one strikeout..
In the bottom of the sixth inning, GCU senior third baseman Lovey Kepa'a took the lead to eight by launching a solo home run to left field for the run-rule win over Iowa State. The home run was GCU's fourth of the night and third of the game.
The Lopes have their biggest test of the season Saturday at GCU Softball Stadium, where No. 3 Florida will battle GCUÂ at 6:30 p.m. (Phoenix time).
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Golden, Meghan (4-0)
L: Anna Jardin (0-2)
Batting:
3B: Kepa'a, Lovey 1
HR: Lucas, Tinley 1
RBI: Kirk, Savannah 1 ; Gomez, Makaiya 1 ; Lucas, Tinley 2 ; Cooper, Jada 1 ; Kepa'a, Lovey 2 ; Nolan, Mackenzie 2
SF: Gomez, Makaiya 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kirk, Savannah 1 ; McCray, Sydney 1 ; Gomez, Makaiya 1 ; Lucas, Tinley 1 ; Selfors, Macie 1 ; Weckel, Mia 2 ; Williams, Briah 1 ; Nolan, Mackenzie 1
SB: Kirk, Savannah 1 ; McCray, Sydney 2 ; Gomez, Makaiya 1 ; Wolsky, Haley 1 ; Weckel, Mia 1 ; Williams, Briah 1 ; Nolan, Mackenzie 1
HBP: Satcher, Alina 1 ; Kepa'a, Lovey 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
2
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
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IF
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OF
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UTIL
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IF
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IF
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RHP
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