GCU walks off New Mexico to move on to MW semifinals

Thursday, May 7

Reno, Nev.

3 p.m.

Grand Canyon

49-7

(4) New Mexico

27-26

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
New Mexico	0	0	0	0	0	2	4	6	5	0
Grand Canyon	0	1	0	0	0	1	5	7	9	1

Photo by: David Kadlubowski

5/7/2026 8:22:00 PM | Softball

Box Score Photo Gallery

Lopes score five in the 7th in crazy comeback win

By: Braden Dohrmann

RENO, NEV - Grand Canyon found a way to win one of the more improbable games of the year in its quarterfinal matchup of the Mountain West Championship against New Mexico.

After a pitcher's duel through five innings, New Mexico hit a go-ahead grand slam in the top of the seventh, all but sealing up a massive upset for the Lobos. The Lopes were unwilling to lose, despite the four-run deficit. A five run, six hit inning brought the Lopes all the way back to walk the game off and breaks the hearts of the New Mexico faithful.

Grand Canyon swept New Mexico in GCU's first-ever Mountain West series all the way back in mid-March. GCU only allowed the Lobos three total runs in the three-game set. Thursday, they had zero runs on two hits through five frames.

This was much in thanks to Oakley Vickers who earned her second career postseason start Thursday, also starting in the GCU win over Santa Clara in the 2025 Tucson Regional.

Vickers was dominant through five innings, keeping the Lobos scoreless, striking out eight batters and just allowing two hits. At one point Vickers struck out four straight hitters. After being pulled in the sixth, Vickers returned to the game after unsuccessful relief help, ending her night with 6.1 innings pitched and ten strikeouts. It was the most strikeouts in a game of Oakley Vickers' young career.

Trinity Martin got the scoring going for the Lopes in the top of the second, hammering a 1-0 pitch to straightaway center for her 15th home run of the season.

Martin moved into third all-time in single season home runs with the solo-shot. She passed up the 2022 season of Kristin Fifield, who still holds the top-spot at 21 bombs in the 2023 season.
In the top of the sixth, New Mexico took advantage of their one-run deficit and struck for two to take the lead. Vickers allowed a leadoff single, leading to a pitching change as the New Mexico batting order came around for the third time.

Taryn Batterton took over in relief and just faced two batters. Lobos two-hole hitter Gabrielle Briones launched Batterton's third pitch off the wall in deep center field for an RBI double, despite a diving effort by centerfielder Sydney McCray. Batterton drew a groundout to second base moving the runner to third in her second at-bat.

With a runner on third and an out, freshman Abi Jones took over in the circle. She proceeded to hit the first batter she faced and walked the second to load the bases up. Vickers then returned to the game and gave up a sacrifice fly and a flyout, giving the Lobos a 2-1 lead.

GCU answered in the bottom of the sixth, loading the bases up with no outs for senior Emily Gonzalez. Gonzalez drove the first pitch into left field for a sacrifice fly to tie the game. Addison Shifflett and Tinley Lucas both got out afterwards keeping the game at a 2-2 tie entering the seventh.

Vickers struck out the first two batters in the top of the seventh inning before pitching a groundout to first base. Unfortunately for Grand Canyon, first baseman Jada Cooper muffed the grounder allowing the inning to continue with the error.

Vickers walked the next batter, leading the Lopes to go to sophomore Natalie Fritz to get the final out. Fritz hit the first batter she faced to load the bases and then allowed a back-breaking opposite-field grand slam.

GCU faced a four-run deficit but did not panic. The Lopes had scored eight runs in the seventh inning to beat Colorado State last weekend, also trailing by four runs in that contest.

First the Lopes provided the base runners. Mackenzie Nolan led the inning off with a single, followed by an out, a McCray walk and a Raegan Holtorf bunt single.

With the bases loaded, Jada Cooper redeemed her error with a full-count line drive into center field to cut the lead in half. However, Holtorf was gunned down at third base on the play for the second out.

With a runner on first and two outs, still down two runs, the Lopes did not give in to the upset bid. Martin who homered earlier in the game, added a clutch line-drive double just above the outstretched glove of the New Mexico shortstop.

Emily Gonzalez stepped up next with a line drive double down the right field line to tie the game, marking the fourth-straight hit for the Lopes. Shifflett made it five, when she dropped a base hit into left-center field for the walk-off winner.

Grand Canyon had not walked a game off since Jada Cooper's walk-off single over Seattle U in April of 2025.

With the win, GCU heads to the Mountain West Championship semifinal where they will face the winner of No. 2 UNLV and No. 3 Nevada, the hosts of the tournament.

The game will begin at noon (Phoenix time) on MW Network.