Shutout puts GCU 1 win from WAC Tournament title

Friday, May 9

Riverside, Calif.

1 p.m.

Grand Canyon

45-6

(2) Tarleton State

35-21

Tarleton State

Lopes

Photo by: Bryce Wheeler

5/9/2025 5:27:00 PM | Softball, Paul Coro

Box Score

Golden, Place combine on 4-hitter vs. 2nd-seeded Tarleton State

By: Paul Coro

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Grand Canyon did not see anything good about March 22, the last day it lost, until it became Friday's motivation to reach the WAC Tournament championship round.

Laser-focused GCU recorded its 22nd consecutive win, the nation's longest active winning streak, by avenging its last loss with a 5-0 semifinal round shutout of second-seeded Tarleton State.

The Lopes (45-6) kept the nation's best record on the strength of WAC Pitcher of the Year Meghan Golden, a senior, and Division II transfer Maggie Place, a sophomore, combining on a four-hit shutout. No. 24 GCU's 15th shutout of the season put the Lopes a Saturday victory away from a four-peat and a fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament berth.

Tarleton State defeated Utah Valley to face GCU in a Saturday championship game, which was moved to 11 a.m. because of triple-digit heat in Riverside. Should GCU lose that game, it would get a second crack against the Texans in a winner-takes-all night game.

The Lopes enter Saturday having used co-ace Taryn Batterton for one inning, because Golden, Place and freshman Oakley Vickers have pitched 13 consecutive shutout innings for the national leader in team ERA (1.74).

"Meg is real different, and Maggie's real different, and they're totally different from each other," GCU head coach Shanon Hays said. "It's easy to get it right when they go in and execute and make good pitches."

Golden handled 4 1/3 innings, and Place brought home the final 2 2/3 innings in a game the Lopes did not break open until their final offensive half-inning.

GCU's speed applied pressure on Tarleton State (36-21 after a night win) from the basepaths, starting where that usually emanates – sophomore leadoff batter Savannah Kirk.

The WAC Player of the Year singled to left field on the Texans' second pitch, stole second base and went to third on graduate left fielder Mia Weckel's sacrifice bunt.

After junior first baseman Emily Gonazlez walked and Tarleton State recorded a second out, Hays put on a double steal that freshman pinch-runner Briah Williams and Kirk executed or a 1-0 lead.

"When you've got Savannah, Mia and Syd (junior Sydney McCray), you can do a lot of things," Hays said of the Lopes speedsters. "You can roll the dice and put pressure on people."

Mia Weckel

Weckel nearly broke open the game in the second inning when her bases-loaded liner could have scored three runs, but Tarleton State third baseman Austin Germain made a back-handed stab to end the inning.

But Kirk and Weckel form a relentless one-two punch atop the Lopes lineup. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Kirk chopped a single over shortstop and grabbed her 47th stolen base (third in the game) without being caught this season.

Down 0-2 in her count, Weckel rallied to foul off a full-count pitch before singling to left to score Kirk for a 2-0 GCU lead.

"We play for each other and when we each individually get on, it fires all of us up to do the same thing," Weckel said.

Tarleton State's only threat on Golden came on a bunt and two walks in the third, when she left the Texans stranded. Challenged again in the fifth with two one-out singles, Place relieved her and induced Tarleton State leadoff hitter Hayden Fox into an inning-ending double play on her third pitch.

Lucas and Hays

"That's a very smart move," Lopes sophomore catcher Tinley Lucas said. "Coach Hays is a very smart man. Coming from a hitter's perspective, seeing an up-ball girl like Meg for the whole game and then bringing in Maggie who naturally throws down hard and has that off-speed, they're going to be off."

Place threw 2 2/3 perfect innings, recording the first five outs on 13 pitches.

More Weckel pressure sparked a three-run sixth inning, when she walked, moved to second base on a passed ball and stole third standing. That led to a series of RBI singles by freshman third baseman Willa Ford, Lucas and sophomore shortstop Mackenzie Nolan before graduate right fielder Makaiya Gomez was ruled out on a tight play at home plate.

"We had something to prove for sure,' Weckel said of a March series loss at Tarleton State. "We didn't play our best when we played them last time, so this time we wanted to all show up."

Meghan Golden

Golden backed up her last outing, a complete-game shutout of Abilene Christian, by pulling the curveball more often out of her four-pitch bag. She became the nation's only 14-0 pitcher with a 0.92 ERA, tied for the second lowest nationally.

"I didn't do that well against Tarleton the first time, and we knew they were going to be coming after us," said Golden, who is now one of 19 active Division I pitchers with at least 55 career wins. "I locked in and threw a different pitch than the first time. I threw a curve ball, and I think it got them because I'm mainly in."

Kirk also ranks second nationally. With her 5-for-8 tournament, her .511 batting average is second best in the nation. The 29-year-old WAC record is .508 by Nina Lindenburg of Fresno State.

"It feels a lot better to lead," Kirk said after Friday's comeback win. "Pressure games are when I lock in more, but it's nice for our pitchers and to calm everyone down. It feels good to help our pitchers out."

GCU's opponent was decided when Tarleton State defeated Utah Valley 4-0 in a Friday night elimination game. The Lopes and Texans have split four meetings this season, with Tarleton State taking two of three in Stephenville for GCU's last losses before the 22-game winning streak.

"It's going to be a tough day," Hays said of Saturday. "Whoever we play is going to play with nothing to lose. Tarleton has such good pitching with those two good starters, so that's going to be a chore."