GCU repeats as WAC regular-season champ

Friday, April 25

Phoenix, Ariz.

4:30 p.m.

Grand Canyon

38-6, 16-2

Utah Tech

15-31, 6-16

Utah Tech

Grand Canyon

Photo by: Luke Greenwall

4/25/2025 7:20:00 PM | Softball, Paul Coro

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Lopes claim 3rd conference title in 4 seasons under Hays

By: Paul Coro

Grand Canyon opened the week with the big-picture affirmation of its first national top-25 ranking and is ending the week with its tunnel-vision goal of a WAC regular-season championship repeat.

The 25th-ranked Lopes put the nation's longest active winning streak in peril twice Friday night at GCU Softball Stadium, where Utah Tech took first-inning leads in both games before yielding five unanswered Lopes runs in the first game and 13 in the second game. The first GCU win in the doubleheader sweep clinched the Lopes' third WAC regular-season title in head coach Shanon Hays' four seasons at GCU, while the nightcap marked the Lopes' 16th consecutive win.

Building on the nation's sixth-best record by winning percentage, the Lopes (39-6, 17-2 WAC) used 4 2/3 innings of shutout relief from freshman left-hander Oakley Vickers in Game 1 and senior right-hander Meghan Golden's 12th win without a loss in her final home start in Game 2.

"It means even more because it shows what our program has been able to build into," GCU head coach Shanon Hays said. "This year, we had a lot of people who double us. I didn't set the bar that high myself because we lost so many great players, but the young girls we had last year have mature into being leaders. I'm really proud of them."

Over the past 20 years, GCU is the only WAC program besides New Mexico State to win three regular-season championships in a four-year span.

Friday night marked the fourth and fifth times during the 16-game winning streak that GCU bounced back from a first-inning deficit.

"That's something we've had to develop throughout the season," said Lopes graduate right fielder Makaiya Gomez, who ripped a pair of two-run doubles in Game 2 . "I'm just so proud. Even when they're scoring or hitting, we're like, 'All right, that's cool We can hit. We know how to play the game.' It's awesome to see the growth from the beginning of the season to now."

Game 1: GCU 5, Utah Tech 3

Trailblazers catcher Kinley Pappas homered on the first game's opening pitch, and Utah Tech used four more hits to build a 3-0 lead before Vickers relieved Lopes junior starter Taryn Batterton for the inning's final out and many more.

GCU immediately wiped away some of the lead in the bottom half of the first inning, when sophomore second baseman Savannah Kirk applied the pressure with a single and a stolen base, her 37th swipe of the season without being caught. She went 4 for 5 in the doubleheader, raising her batting average to a WAC-leading .497.

Kirk scored after consecutive walks to Gomez, junior first baseman Emily Gonzalez and freshman designated player Jada Cooper. After Cooper drew a walk on a full count, Lopes sophomore catcher Tinley Lucas also took Utah Tech starter Sauren Garton to a full court before launching an RBI sacrifice fly that cut the Trailblazers' lead to 3-2.

Retiring eight of the first nine batters she faced, Vickers put GCU in position to tie in the bottom of the fourth. Lopes freshman third baseman Willa Ford hit a first-pitch single, and Kirk bunted for another single to set up graduate left fielder Mia Weckel's tying sacrifice fly.

Among the nine walks GCU drew in Game 1, Cooper took a base on balls on four pitches to start the bottom of the fifth. After Lucas' sacrifice bunt with a throwing error that put her on base, Hays used pinch-hitters effectively to get a go-ahead RBI single from sophomore Alina Satcher and a RBI sacrifice fly by junior Arriana Wright for the 5-3 lead.

Lopes sophomore pitcher Maggie Place picked up her third save by shutting out Utah Tech over the final 1 2/3 innings, thanks to an over-the-shoulder catch by junior center fielder Sydney McCray to end the game with a Trailblazer on base.

Vickers dropped her ERA to 0.42 in her last six appearances, including the Friday night win that included four strikeouts in a season-high 4 2/3 innings. Utah Tech entered the game hitting .308 this season and went 3 for 14 against Vickers.

The Lopes clinched the WAC regular-season title by taking a six-game lead on second-place Tarleton State (13-8 in WAC) with five GCU conference games remaining, including the second game of the GCU-Utah Tech doubleheader. The nightcap will start at 7:40 p.m. at GCU Softball Stadium.

Game 2: GCU 13, Utah Tech 2

The Lopes spotted the Trailblazers a first-inning lead again in the nightcap, falling behind 2-0 on a two-out rally. This time, GCU wiped it away in the bottom half and scored 13 unanswered runs for a five-inning, run-rule win.

GCU won its 16th consecutive game, the nation's longest active winning streak, with 13 hits in its four offensive innings, including six doubles and two home runs.

In her final home start, Golden moved to 12-0 this season by allowing one earned run in 4 1/3 innings, putting her ERA at 0.98 to rank third nationally.

"I've seen Utah Tech for three years, so they know exactly what I'm going to pitch," Golden said. "I had to do something different besides up, up, up. I starting throwing by backdoor lower, trying to get a strike with that, and then they started swinging at my up stuff."

GCU gave Golden all she needed in the bottom of the first inning, when Gonzalez began her big offensive game with a two-run double to right-center field and freshman third baseman Willa Ford put the Lopes ahead with a two-out RBI single on a full count. Sophomore catcher Tinley Lucas followed with a RBI double down the right-field line for a 4-2 lead.

With Golden retiring 11 of the last 12 batters she faced, GCU kept stretching the lead with each inning. Gomez added a two-run double in the second inning after singles by sophomore infielders Mackenzie Nolan and Kirk.

The Lopes kept scoring by twos when they blew the game open in the third inning. Junior pinch-hitter Arriana Wright's two-run double, Gomez's second two-run double and Gonzalez's two-run home run put GCU ahead 12-2.

It was Gonzalez's eighth home run, doubling her previous season high. Gomez ran her season RBI total to 44, 10 more RBIs than she had last season in 20 fewer games than last season.

The scoring capped when senior Love Kepa'a made the most of her first at bat since a March 26 injury by lining a solo home run, her fifth of the season, to right-center field.

When the second win was complete, GCU recognized its conference championship with Golden running the WAC regular-season trophy out to her teammates for a left-field celebration.

"We've been doing this for years, so it feels natural," Golden said.

The Lopes will play their home finale at noon Saturday for Senior Day, when they will honor Golden, Gomez, Kepa'a, Emily Darwin, Alexis Soto and Emily Darwin after the game. A win would give GCU its best home record (30-6) in the program's Division I era.