Pair of shutout dubs bring Lopes to 13-0

Friday, February 20

Phoenix, Ariz.

5 p.m.

Grand Canyon

12-0

Montana

4-8

Montana

Grand Canyon

Photo by: Jayden Todd

2/20/2026 10:56:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Lopes' Gonzalez smokes 3 home runs in wins vs. Montana, North Florida

By: Braden Dohrmann

Grand Canyon had a night to remember Friday, shutting out Montana 8-0 and highly touted North Florida 9-0 for run-rule victories that improved the Lopes' record to 13-0 on the season.

GCU shutout wins from senior Maggie Place and sophomore Oakley Vickers, while the bats came alive with five home runs on the night. Three of them came from senior Emily Gonzalez.

"Both games we hit really well off some great pitching," Lopes head coach Shanon Hays said. "We put pressure on the defense all night whether it was a timely bunt or hit-and-run or someone coming up with a clutch hit. That paired with good pitching and defense will reward you with nights like these."

GCU 8, Montana 0 (5 innings)

The Lopes seized control of both games with six-run innings, posting it against Motntana in the second frame.

After sophomore Jada Cooper led off the inning with a ground out, the next six batters reached base. This included freshman catcher Sarah Campbell's two-RBI single, freshman third baseman Ellie Pond's RBI single and graduate left fielder Trinity Martin's two-RBI base hit.

Martin and Gonzalez each racked up three hits in a game for the first time this season.

Gonzalez stole the show on the night, starting with adding to the lead with a fifth-inning solo shot and doing even more in Game 2.

"Emily is a pro hitter," Hays said. "You are only going to hold her down for so long, and she is starting to turn the corner and run into some balls in the middle of the plate."

After the Gonzo shot, the Lopes loaded the bases again before Martin's third hit of the game brought the eighth run home for the five-inning, run-rule win.

In the circle, Place made her second start of the season and allowed just three hits over 4 2/3 shutout innings. Place, who went 10-3 in 2025, struck out three with no walks to earn her first win of the 2026 campaign.

GCU 9, North Florida 0 (5 innings)

Game 2 saw a massive game on paper, with GCU and North Florida entering with 12 wins apiece on the young season.

North Florida (12-4) run-ruled Auburn in Week 1, with two of their three losses coming in coming on the road at fifth-ranked Florida. D1Softball has the Ospreys ranked as the ninth-best mid-major team in the country.

GCU quickly put any upset hopes to rest, scoring six runs in the bottom of the first inning, immediately getting North Florida starting pitcher Taylor Cook out of the game.

Lopes senior center fielder Sydney McCray's infield single was followed by freshman second baseman Raegan Holtorf crushing a two-run homer, the first of her career.

"That one felt good," Holtorf said. "We were excited for this one. We feel like we are a Top 25 team and needed to prove that tonight. It was great to jump on them early and get a huge win."

"Raegan put a really good swing on that ball," Hays said. "The homer was on a hit-and-run, and she executed the play to perfection. It was fun to see."

The celebration continued when Gonzalez sent the next pitch over the video board in left field. The Lopes led 3-0 before an out had been recorded.

After a pair of walks and freshman right fielder Addison Shifflett reaching on an error, the bases were juiced in the bottom of the first. Junior catcher Tinley Lucas brought the fourth run home via sacrifice fly, while Pond smacked a two-out, two-RBI single to field to extend the first-inning lead to 6-0.

Cooper and Gonzalez each added solo shots in the third and fourth innings, respectively, to put the game out of reach.

"I felt relaxed tonight," Gonzalez said. "I started the season off rocky but have trusted the process and appreciated my coach's support and belief in me. I went into the night looking to take the pressure off, and it worked well."

Vickers dominated in the circle again, moving to 4-0 on the season behind another 4 1/3 scoreless innings. She struck out five batters and brought her ERA down to 1.18 through almost 24 innings on the year. Vickers tied senior Taryn Batterton for most wins on the team.

GCU (13-0) is one of six undefeated teams remaining in the country. The Lopes join top-10 teams Florida, Alabama and top-ranked Tennessee, as well as North Carolina and Omaha.

They are back in action for one game Saturday evening against UC Santa Barbara. The Gauchos went 2-0 on the day with wins over Montana and San Diego.

"Our team is really coming into form," Gonzalez said. "We have worked really hard for results like these, and we are just going to continue to grow and get better each week."