Seattle University softball (17-31, 6-8 WAC) tied the contest mid-game in game one but Grand Canyon (26-18, 11-3 WAC) earned the 4-3 win and, in game two, the Redhawks held off the Lopes for a 4-2 win in a Western Athletic Conference doubleheader.
"We fought hard today against a very good Grand Canyon team," said head coach Dan Powers. "Lindsay and Richelle threw well in both games and gave us a chance to win. It was a big win today and we'll try to win the series tomorrow."
Seattle U and Grand Canyon return to action in the final game of the weekend and SU’s final regular season game on Saturday, Apr. 26 at 2 p.m. This year’s senior class will be honored prior to the contest.
Game 1: Grand Canyon 4, Seattle U 3
GCU had the best early chance to score, leaving runners on first and second to end the first inning, but the Lopes would ultimately score first, adding three in the third inning. A pair of RBI singles by Kelsey Barak and Nicole Newbury followed by a two-out RBI double by Camree Wartman would give GCU the 3-0 lead.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Redhawks would answer back with three of their own on three straight hits, all with two outs. Lisa Maulden (Maple Valley, Wash.) would drive in Bubba Morrow (Auburn, Wash.) on an RBI single before Maulden scored on an RBI double to right by Jenny Hurst (Laguna Niguel, Calif.). Mandie Sugita (Rossmoor, Calif.) would drive in Hurst with an RBI double to right field for the final run before a pop up ended the inning.
In the next half inning, the Lopes’ Barak scored an unearned run on a Seattle U fielding error, which would prove to be the deciding blow. Each team would only leave a runner on base apiece for the remainder of the contest, both on first, as GCU earned the 4-3 win.
Barak led the Lopes with three hits, going 3-for-4 at the plate and adding two runs. Four different Redhawks earned a hit while three Redhawks scored a run apiece.
In the circle, last week’s WAC Pitcher of the Week Stephanie Pesqueira earned her league-high 14th win of the season allowing three runs on four hits while walking one and striking out two. Lindsay Davis (Palo Cedro, Calif.) was handed the loss, giving up four runs on eight hits while striking out three.
Game 2: Seattle U 4, Grand Canyon 2
A big bottom of the second for SU would prove to be the deciding factor as the Redhawks would score four in the inning. Isabella Geronimo (San Mateo, Calif.) drove in two with a 2RBI double to left field while Sugita added an RBI single and Maulden scored on a wild pitch.
The Lopes’ Wartman would reach as far as second in the top of the fifth and Seattle U’s Jennifer Sweet (Bend, Ore.) would be stranded on third in the bottom of the sixth, but no further scoring would take place until the seventh.
GCU would add their first two runs of the game to bring their deficit within two, 4-2, on RBI singles by Pesquiera and Claire Zampini, but Sugita entered in relief and was able to keep the bases loaded as SU came away with the win.
Maulden and Sugita led the Redhawks with two hits apiece in game two while Wartman recorded a team-high two hits for the Lopes.
In the circle, Taylor Nowlin was handed the loss, giving up three runs on two hits while striking out one in one inning of work. Kiki Sepulveda gave up the final run on five hits while striking out two in the five inning outing.
Richelle Ashburn (Post Falls, Idaho) earned the win, allowing two runs on seven hits while striking out one while Sugita entered for the final 1/3 inning, walking one.