Completed Event: Softball at Arizona State on October 15, 2025 ,
Softball
at Arizona State
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Friday, April 18
Arlington, Texas
1 p.m.
Grand Canyon
35-6, 13-2
11
at
3
UT Arlington
22-17, 8-8
1
2
3
4
5
6
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H
E
Grand Canyon
1
1
2
0
4
3
11
15
2
UT Arlington
0
0
0
2
0
1
3
7
3
Photo by: Braden Dohrmann
Nation's best win streak reaches 13 games
4/18/2025 10:00:00 PM | Softball
Lopes extend WAC lead to 5 in loss column with 2 run-rule wins at UT Arlington
Grand Canyon continued its record-breaking winning streak with a pair of six-inning, run-rule victories Friday at UT Arlington.
With their 13th win in a row, the Lopes (36-6, 14-2 WAC) hold the longest active winning streak in the country.
The GCU bats did plenty to add to unsurprisingly solid starting pitching outings, bringing the Lopes to 9-0 on the road this season. With the wins, GCU set its new single season winning streak record at 13 games.
GCU ripped 15 hits, its second most this season, in the six-inning game. The only player to notch three was freshman third baseman Willa Ford, who has become the mainstay at the hot corner. she topped off her day with a two-run home runin the sixth to extend the lead to 11-2.
Grand Canyon received a run in each of the first two innings. After graduate left fielder Mia Weckel reached on an error with one out, the bases subsequently loaded, and freshman Jada Cooper brought Weckel home via sacrifice fly.
Cooper, playing her first collegiate games in her home state of Texas, continued a hot streak. The Houston native homered in both games of the doubleheader in front of nearly 50 friends and relatives. She has homered in all three games this week and now holds the all-time home run record for a GCU freshman.
Cooper's Game 1 home run came in the third inning, when her two-run shot extended the lead to 4-0 before newly entered pitcher Oakley Vickers allowed a two-run double that cut the Lopes lead in half. Both runs were unearned after an earlier error.
GCU junior pitcher Taryn Batterton started in the circle and went 3 1/3 innings, not pitching long enough to get the win. Her 15-1 record still raises eyebrows, earning a win Tuesday at Arizona State. Batterton's 15 wins ties Hailey Hudson's win total from 2024, when she won WAC Pitcher of the Year.
Lopes sophomore pitcher Maggie Place pitched the final two innings, earning her eighth win of the year. She just gave up one run and struck out two batters.
Sophomores Tinley Lucas and Savannah Kirk, as well as graduate outfielder Makaiya Gomez, joined Ford and Cooper with multi-hit games. It was the first time each Lopes starter got a hit in a game this season.
Golden moved to 11-0 on the season with another five innings of dominant work in the circle. She just allowed one run on a solo shot in the fifth inning for a three-hitter with two strikeouts. Golden's 0.95 ERA could break the program single-season ERA record that she set last season (1.99).
The Lopes offense pieced together 10 runs on nine hits, taking advantage of four Maverick errors.
GCU junior center fielder Sydney McCray was the player of the game offensively, racking up her first three-hit game of her Lopes career. She went 3 for 3 with three runs and an RBI. She added a stolen base, giving her 17 on the season.
The highlight of the game came in the fourth inning when senior first baseman Emily Gonzalez and Cooper went back-to-back for solo homers. The pair has proven to be one of the best 1-2 combos in the conference and potentially the nation. Cooper's on-base percentage sits at .515, while Gonzalez holds a .510 OBP.
Ashley Trierweiler set the GCU all-time single season OBP record at .513 last season. Cooper and Gonzalez will give that number a run for its money, but Kirk's .535 is the jaw-dropper as the sophomore second baseman continues to awe.
Kirk added another hit in Game 2, putting her batting average at.493. She has hits in every game except three, and the Lopes are 1-2 in those contests.
In the sixth inning, GCU tacked on five more runs, getting three doubles in the inning. The first was an RBI double to left field from McCray. The next was a two-RBI double from Kirk to right field for a rare sight from the lefty slapper. Finally, a pinch-hit RBI double from senior Alexis Soto capped the inning and put the Lopes in position for a run-rule win.
In the sixth frame, senior Emily Darwin replaced Golden and faced the minimum three batters, thanks to a smooth "do-it-yourself" double play from sophomore shortstop Mackenzie Nolan.
GCU and UT Arlington play Game 3 of the series Saturday at 10 a.m. (Phoenix time) at Allan Saxe Field in Arlington. The Lopes go for their 14th straight win, which would set an overall program record for consecutive victories.
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With their 13th win in a row, the Lopes (36-6, 14-2 WAC) hold the longest active winning streak in the country.
The GCU bats did plenty to add to unsurprisingly solid starting pitching outings, bringing the Lopes to 9-0 on the road this season. With the wins, GCU set its new single season winning streak record at 13 games.
Game 1: GCU beats UT Arlington 11-3 (6 inn.)
The Lopes scored in five of six innings, leaving no doubt they would take Game 1 of the series at UT Arlington (22-18, 8-9 WAC). Seven runs in the final two innings put the game away for good.GCU ripped 15 hits, its second most this season, in the six-inning game. The only player to notch three was freshman third baseman Willa Ford, who has become the mainstay at the hot corner. she topped off her day with a two-run home runin the sixth to extend the lead to 11-2.
Grand Canyon received a run in each of the first two innings. After graduate left fielder Mia Weckel reached on an error with one out, the bases subsequently loaded, and freshman Jada Cooper brought Weckel home via sacrifice fly.
Cooper, playing her first collegiate games in her home state of Texas, continued a hot streak. The Houston native homered in both games of the doubleheader in front of nearly 50 friends and relatives. She has homered in all three games this week and now holds the all-time home run record for a GCU freshman.
Cooper's Game 1 home run came in the third inning, when her two-run shot extended the lead to 4-0 before newly entered pitcher Oakley Vickers allowed a two-run double that cut the Lopes lead in half. Both runs were unearned after an earlier error.
GCU junior pitcher Taryn Batterton started in the circle and went 3 1/3 innings, not pitching long enough to get the win. Her 15-1 record still raises eyebrows, earning a win Tuesday at Arizona State. Batterton's 15 wins ties Hailey Hudson's win total from 2024, when she won WAC Pitcher of the Year.
Lopes sophomore pitcher Maggie Place pitched the final two innings, earning her eighth win of the year. She just gave up one run and struck out two batters.
Sophomores Tinley Lucas and Savannah Kirk, as well as graduate outfielder Makaiya Gomez, joined Ford and Cooper with multi-hit games. It was the first time each Lopes starter got a hit in a game this season.
Game 2:Â GCU beats UT Arlington 10-1 (6 inn.)
GCU took Game 2 behind another master class from senior pitcher Meghan Golden, home run power from the middle of the lineup and a five-run sixth inning.Golden moved to 11-0 on the season with another five innings of dominant work in the circle. She just allowed one run on a solo shot in the fifth inning for a three-hitter with two strikeouts. Golden's 0.95 ERA could break the program single-season ERA record that she set last season (1.99).
The Lopes offense pieced together 10 runs on nine hits, taking advantage of four Maverick errors.
GCU junior center fielder Sydney McCray was the player of the game offensively, racking up her first three-hit game of her Lopes career. She went 3 for 3 with three runs and an RBI. She added a stolen base, giving her 17 on the season.
The highlight of the game came in the fourth inning when senior first baseman Emily Gonzalez and Cooper went back-to-back for solo homers. The pair has proven to be one of the best 1-2 combos in the conference and potentially the nation. Cooper's on-base percentage sits at .515, while Gonzalez holds a .510 OBP.
Ashley Trierweiler set the GCU all-time single season OBP record at .513 last season. Cooper and Gonzalez will give that number a run for its money, but Kirk's .535 is the jaw-dropper as the sophomore second baseman continues to awe.
Kirk added another hit in Game 2, putting her batting average at.493. She has hits in every game except three, and the Lopes are 1-2 in those contests.
In the sixth inning, GCU tacked on five more runs, getting three doubles in the inning. The first was an RBI double to left field from McCray. The next was a two-RBI double from Kirk to right field for a rare sight from the lefty slapper. Finally, a pinch-hit RBI double from senior Alexis Soto capped the inning and put the Lopes in position for a run-rule win.
In the sixth frame, senior Emily Darwin replaced Golden and faced the minimum three batters, thanks to a smooth "do-it-yourself" double play from sophomore shortstop Mackenzie Nolan.
GCU and UT Arlington play Game 3 of the series Saturday at 10 a.m. (Phoenix time) at Allan Saxe Field in Arlington. The Lopes go for their 14th straight win, which would set an overall program record for consecutive victories.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Place, Maggie (8-3)
L: Gutierrez, Abi (4-3)
Batting:
2B: Gonzalez, Emily 1 ; Cooper, Jada 1
HR: Cooper, Jada 1 ; Ford, Willa 1
RBI: Weckel, Mia 1 ; Gomez, Makaiya 1 ; Cooper, Jada 3 ; McCray, Sydney 1 ; Wright, Arriana 1 ; Ford, Willa 2 ; Nolan, Mackenzie 1
SH: Lucas, Tinley 1 ; Nolan, Mackenzie 1
SF: Cooper, Jada 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kirk, Savannah 1 ; Weckel, Mia 1 ; Gonzalez, Emily 1 ; Wolsky, Haley 1 ; Cooper, Jada 1 ; Williams, Briah 1 ; McCray, Sydney 3 ; Ford, Willa 1 ; Nolan, Mackenzie 1
HBP: Gonzalez, Emily 1
Batting:
2B: Soza, Vanessa 1 ; Maldonado, Talia 2
RBI: Maldonado, Talia 2
SH: Neises, Marley 1
Base Running:
RUNS: McNulty, Mia 1 ; Spriggs, Camila 1 ; Neises, Marley 1
SB: Neises, Marley 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
1
H
3
RBI
2
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
2
R
1
H
2
RBI
3
Players Mentioned
RHP
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RHP
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RHP
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UTIL
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P
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C
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OF
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IF
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RHP
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C
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OF
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LHP
/ Softball
OF
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