Courtesy of Grand Canyon Athletics
Saturday’s and Sunday’s games carried more implications for Grand Canyon than any this season, and the Lopes handled the pressure like champions – something they are getting closer to being again.
Mountain West leader GCU won its home series with UNLV on Sunday with a 4-2 Senior Day victory that put the Lopes two games ahead of second-place Nevada and three ahead of third-place UNLV with three conference games remaining for each.
The Lopes (45-7, 18-4 MW) moved closer to a conference title but already have clinched a first-round bye in the Mountain West Championship, a double-elimination May 6-9 tourney that will award an automatic NCAA Tournament berth to its champion in Reno, Nevada.
“This is the first time we’ve talked a little bit about wanting to win the conference,” said GCU head coach Shanon Hays, who has won three regular-season and four postseason conference titles in his first four Lopes seasons. “Usually, we just talk about making the postseason. But we’re trying to make a statement.”
GCU honored its star-studded senior class of Taryn Batterton, Emily Gonzalez, Trinity Martin and Sydney McCray after Sunday’s game at GCU Softball Stadium. A junior, right-hander Maggie Place, made sure the seniors were all smiles by giving the Lopes her best outing of the season.
With primarily a relief role this season, Place pitched her longest outing since opening weekend by shutting out UNLV for 5 2/3 innings on Sunday. Place stymied a lineup laded with right-handed hitters for just three hits and one walk and did not allow a Rebels runner to reach scoring position.
“I was really excited to go out there and do the best I could,” said Place, the pitching hero of last year’s WAC Tournament championship game with eight shutout innings. “Honestly, it felt really good. It felt like I could just keep going.
“We just mixed drop ball and off-speed curve, and the off-speed was just working really well. I felt like I was hitting the outside corner good.”
UNLV starting pitcher Lauren Fettic, who went nine innings for the win Friday, shut out GCU for the first four innings Sunday. The Lopes had leadoff hits in three of those innings but did not score even with McCray reaching third base with one out in the first inning and a bases-loaded, no-out situation in the fourth.
GCU struck out twice in each of the first four innings, but the Lopes broke through with a four-run, fifth-inning rally that started with McCray’s one-out single and 33rd stolen base of the season – the most in the nation without being caught.
After freshman second baseman Raegan Holtorf was hit by a pitch and a second out, sophomore first baseman Jada Cooper drove a two-out, two-run double to left field to break the scoreless tie. Gonzalez followed with another two-out double for crucial security runs and a 4-0 lead.
“We’ll take it any way we can get it, which was great because that was too good of a start for Maggie to throw against a really good-hitting team to not get a win out of that,” Hays said.
Gonzalez’s 22nd double in two GCU seasons gave her 76 RBIs in that Lopes tenure that has also featured 22 home runs and a .454 on-base percentage.
“It felt peaceful knowing I had my team with me,” Gonzalez said. “I didn’t really feel high or low because we’re going to have more season. I love these girls, and I’m going to be really sad when it does come to an end. I wouldn’t choose any other team. They’re the team that I’m so blessed to end with. These girls are so competitive that it makes me better. Softball the past two years has been so much fun.”
Batterton picked up her third save of the season on Senior Day, which recognized her 28-2 record since returning to GCU for last season. McCray had a two-hit Senior Day, improving her batting average to .364 with a .488 on-base percentage. Martin added a Senior Day hit, continuing a remarkable in-season turnaround that includes her tying the GCU single-season home run record with 14.
“If you look at what Syd did this year for the team with Sav (Savannah Kirk) going down and her stepping into the leadoff, she’s just been so good,” Hays said. “I just don’t think there’s anybody in center field better than her in the whole country. She’s hands down the Gold Glove winner in our conference. Taryn’s two years have been great, especially statistically. To see what Emily and Trinity have done in conference after starting slow, they are back to doing what we thought they would do. They have been a very impactful four seniors.”
GCU closes the regular season with a Thursday-Saturday series at Colorado State, which earned a sweep at Utah State this weekend. Second-place Nevada plays at third-place UNLV.
“Obviously, we’re going to need to have a really good weekend to win the conference because Colorado State’s playing really well,” Hays said. “Hopefully, we’ll be up for it.”
