Completed Event: Softball at Arizona State on October 15, 2025 ,
Softball
at Arizona State
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Friday, March 14
Orem, Utah
1 p.m.
Grand Canyon
21-3, 1-0
16
at
2
Utah Valley
7-15, 1-3
1
2
3
4
5
R
H
E
Grand Canyon
2
2
6
1
5
16
16
0
Utah Valley
1
1
0
0
0
2
8
0
Photo by: Braden Dohrmann
GCU sweeps doubleheader in Orem
3/14/2025 10:00:00 PM | Softball
Seven home runs in two games leads Lopes
OREM, Utah - Grand Canyon won each half of their road doubleheader with Utah Valley, Friday afternoon.
GCU (22-3), started their season off with 24 consecutive home games at GCU Softball Stadium. They finally hit the road to kick off WAC play with a three-game set with Utah Valley (7-16).
Grand Canyon clobbered seven home runs on the day, including three from freshman Jada Cooper. The Lopes have now won ten games in a row, a feat the Lopes have not achieved since 2023.
GCU racked up 16 runs on 16 hits in just five innings of work, scoring in every inning during their massacre of the Wolverines.
Freshman Jada Cooper highlighted this game offensively, going deep twice bringing home five runners total. Both of Cooper's blasts were deep drives to left field, as the freshman from Houston leads the WAC in home runs with 9 after she added another in game two.
Sophomore shortstop Mackenzie Nolan and junior first baseman Emily Gonzalez also put together huge days offensively, as both players went 3-3 in game one.
Nolan was the first Lope to get two doubles in one game this season as she hit RBI doubles in her first two at bats. It was her first three hit game of her young career. Gonzalez grabbed her fourth multi-hit game in the last five games with her 3-3 performance. Gonzalez's tear has brought her average up to .409 on the season.
Senior third baseman Lovey Kepa'a and junior utility player Arriana Wright added late-game HR's as well. Kepa 'a's was a solo shot to left field that extended the lead to 11-2 in the 4th inning. Wright hit her first home run as a Lope when she mashed a pinch-hit three run bomb in the 5th.
Meghan Golden made the start in the circle and moved to 7-0 on the season. The senior's scoreless streak of 31 consecutive scoreless innings came to an end in the first inning.
Eight of nine GCU starters got a hit in the contest, the 16 total hits easily being the highest in that category all season. In fact, the Lopes hadn't gotten 16 hits in a game since March 1, 2024 vs. Toledo.
GCU kept the offensive onslaught going in game two despite low temperatures and some late-game snow.
Junior starter Taryn Batterton went five scoreless innings to begin the game to allow the offense to build a lead. She would eventually get charged for three runs in the sixth inning but still grew her record to 8-1 on the year.
GCU received another great performance from a player due for a big game in game two. Sophomore catcher Tinley Lucas snagged her first three-hit game of her career and the Lopes' second multi-double game of the year, the game after Nolan took the first one of the season.
Lucas topped off the big day with a home run, her fourth, in the seventh inning.
GCU got hits from eight of their nine starters in back-to-back games, a great offensive display in the doubleheader.
Cooper's third homer of the day followed up Gonzalez's solo-shot in the fifth inning, as the three and four hitters in the lineup went back-to-back.
GCU looks for a sweep of Utah Valley, midday Sunday at 11 a.m. (Phoenix time). GCU also hopes to add to their ten-game win streak before their matchup with Arizona next Wednesday.
GCU (22-3), started their season off with 24 consecutive home games at GCU Softball Stadium. They finally hit the road to kick off WAC play with a three-game set with Utah Valley (7-16).
Grand Canyon clobbered seven home runs on the day, including three from freshman Jada Cooper. The Lopes have now won ten games in a row, a feat the Lopes have not achieved since 2023.
Game 1: GCU beats Utah Valley 16-2, (5 inn.)
GCU racked up 16 runs on 16 hits in just five innings of work, scoring in every inning during their massacre of the Wolverines.
Freshman Jada Cooper highlighted this game offensively, going deep twice bringing home five runners total. Both of Cooper's blasts were deep drives to left field, as the freshman from Houston leads the WAC in home runs with 9 after she added another in game two.
Sophomore shortstop Mackenzie Nolan and junior first baseman Emily Gonzalez also put together huge days offensively, as both players went 3-3 in game one.
Nolan was the first Lope to get two doubles in one game this season as she hit RBI doubles in her first two at bats. It was her first three hit game of her young career. Gonzalez grabbed her fourth multi-hit game in the last five games with her 3-3 performance. Gonzalez's tear has brought her average up to .409 on the season.
Senior third baseman Lovey Kepa'a and junior utility player Arriana Wright added late-game HR's as well. Kepa 'a's was a solo shot to left field that extended the lead to 11-2 in the 4th inning. Wright hit her first home run as a Lope when she mashed a pinch-hit three run bomb in the 5th.
Meghan Golden made the start in the circle and moved to 7-0 on the season. The senior's scoreless streak of 31 consecutive scoreless innings came to an end in the first inning.
Eight of nine GCU starters got a hit in the contest, the 16 total hits easily being the highest in that category all season. In fact, the Lopes hadn't gotten 16 hits in a game since March 1, 2024 vs. Toledo.
Game 2 – GCU beats Utah Valley 9-5
GCU kept the offensive onslaught going in game two despite low temperatures and some late-game snow.
Junior starter Taryn Batterton went five scoreless innings to begin the game to allow the offense to build a lead. She would eventually get charged for three runs in the sixth inning but still grew her record to 8-1 on the year.
GCU received another great performance from a player due for a big game in game two. Sophomore catcher Tinley Lucas snagged her first three-hit game of her career and the Lopes' second multi-double game of the year, the game after Nolan took the first one of the season.
Lucas topped off the big day with a home run, her fourth, in the seventh inning.
GCU got hits from eight of their nine starters in back-to-back games, a great offensive display in the doubleheader.
Cooper's third homer of the day followed up Gonzalez's solo-shot in the fifth inning, as the three and four hitters in the lineup went back-to-back.
GCU looks for a sweep of Utah Valley, midday Sunday at 11 a.m. (Phoenix time). GCU also hopes to add to their ten-game win streak before their matchup with Arizona next Wednesday.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Golden, Meghan (7-0)
L: Riley, Lily (2-4)
Batting:
2B: Kirk, Savannah 1 ; Gonzalez, Emily 1 ; Kepa’a, Lovey 1 ; Nolan, Mackenzie 2
HR: Cooper, Jada 2 ; Wright, Arriana 1 ; Kepa’a, Lovey 1
RBI: Kirk, Savannah 2 ; Gonzalez, Emily 2 ; Cooper, Jada 5 ; Wright, Arriana 3 ; Kepa’a, Lovey 1 ; Nolan, Mackenzie 3
SH: Kepa’a, Lovey 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kirk, Savannah 2 ; Gonzalez, Emily 2 ; Williams, Briah 1 ; Cooper, Jada 2 ; Darwin, Emily 1 ; Weckel, Mia 1 ; Wright, Arriana 1 ; Lucas, Tinley 1 ; Soto, Alexis 1 ; Kepa’a, Lovey 1 ; Wolsky, Haley 1 ; Nolan, Mackenzie 2
Batting:
2B: Haygood, Emma 1
3B: Rodriguez, Amber 1
RBI: Rodriguez, Amber 1 ; Haygood, Emma 1
SH: Moreno, Britney 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Rodriguez, Amber 1 ; Purdy, Kendyl 1
SB: Moreno, Britney 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
2
H
3
RBI
2
AB
3
R
2
H
3
RBI
3
AB
2
R
2
H
2
RBI
5
AB
2
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
RHP
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RHP
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