Upcoming Event: Softball versus Pima CC on September 30, 2025 at 6 p.m.
Softball
6 p.m.
vs Pima CC
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Friday, February 10
San Antonio, Texas
9 a.m. (MST)
Grand Canyon
1-0
9
vs
0
Green Bay
0-1
1
2
3
4
5
R
H
E
Grand Canyon
0
5
0
2
2
9
6
0
Green Bay-WS
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
1
Photo by: Adrianna Candelaria
Lopes open season with 2 shutout road wins
2/10/2023 4:24:00 PM | Softball
GCU uses 2 grand slams to down Green Bay 9-0, Eastern Illinois 6-0
SAN ANTONIO — It may have been Opening Day, but unfortunately for Grand Canyon's opponents, it was nothing but closed doors on Friday, when the Lopes hit two grand slams and shut out Green Bay and Eastern Illinois on Day 1 of the Cardinal Classic.
Lopes blanks Green Bay 9-0
GCU senior pitcher Ariel Thompson nearly threw her second career no-hitter, as Green Bay only managed two hits with one in the fourth inning and another in the fifth inning. Thompson struck out five batters, forced seven fly outs and enticed three ground outs with a pitch count of 71 in the five-inning, run-rule game at Incarnate Word.
GCU struck gold in the top of second, with an RBI single from senior second baseman Macee Barnes before junior pinch-hitter Kaitlyn Brannstrom bombed a grand slam in her first at bat as a Lope. The blast to right field scored Barnes, junior outfielder Kayla Rodgers and senior catcher Kinsey Koeltzow home, to put five on the board before even getting an out.
In the top of the fourth, senior third baseman Madison Schaefer's fielder's choice advanced junior shortstop Katelyn Dunckel to third base and brought senior center fielder Hannah Burnett in for another run. Senior first baseman Ramsay Lopez then grounded to shortstop to bring Dunckel home for a 7-0 Lopes lead.
But it was Barnes' second RBI single and left fielder Kristin Fifield's solo home run to left-center field that finished off GCU's nine-run opener in the fifth inning.
Day ends with 2nd shutout vs. Eastern Illinois
After two scoreless innings, Barnes sent a ball out of the park, and Fifield hit a RBI sacrifice fly for an RBI to give the Lopes a 2-0 lead on Eastern Illinois in third inning of GCU's second Cardinal Classic game on Friday.
With GCU junior pitcher Hailey Hudson shutting out Eastern Illinois, the Lopes lead stayed at 2-0 through six innings. The Lopes loaded the bases with one out in the seventh inning for Fifield, who ripped her second home run of the day for the Lopes' second grand slam. Fifield, who hit 14 home runs last season,scored sophomore first baseman Lovey Kepa'a, Schaefer and Dunckel with the shot down the right-field line for a 6-0 lead.
Hudson, a transfer from McLennnan Community College in Texas, threw a complete-game seven-hitter in her GCU debut. She threw 99 pitches to get 10 flyouts, eight groundouts and two strikeouts.
The Lopes continue tournament play against Green Bay at 9 a.m. (Phoenix time) and host Incarnate Word (2 p.m.) on Saturday.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Thompson, Ariel (1-0)
L: Baneck, Brittany (0-1)
Batting:
HR: Brannstrom, Kaitlyn 1 ; Fifield, Kristin 1
RBI: Brannstrom, Kaitlyn 4 ; Schaefer, Madison 1 ; Lopez, Ramsay 1 ; Fifield, Kristin 1 ; Barnes, Macee 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Burnett, Hannah 1 ; Brannstrom, Kaitlyn 1 ; Dunckel, Katelyn 1 ; Fifield, Kristin 2 ; Koeltzow, Kinsey 1 ; Rodgers, Kayla 1 ; Smythe, Brynn-Jordan 1 ; Barnes, Macee 1
SB: Smythe, Brynn-Jordan 1
HBP: Koeltzow, Kinsey 1 ; Rodgers, Kayla 1
Batting:
SH: Porter, Lauren 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
2
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
ph/rf
AB
2
R
1
H
1
RBI
4
rf/cf
AB
2
R
2
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
IF
/ SoftballUTIL
/ Softball
UTIL
/ Softball
IF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
P
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