ALBUQUERQUE – Grand Canyon began its journey in the Mountain West with a win, taking down New Mexico, 7-2 on the road.
Senior Taryn Batterton earned her seventh win of the season in the circle, while seniors Sydney McCray and Emily Gonzalez led the way at the plate.
The Lopes entered Friday night’s contest with just one previous road game on the season, a win oat San Diego last weekend. They had won 14 straight regular season road games dating back to GCU’s loss at Arizona in 2024.
GCU struck quickly, putting baserunners on first and second immediately in the top of the first thanks to a McCray single and steal and a Raegan Holtorf walk.
McCray used her speed to score the Lopes first run, when two batters later Addison Shifflett dropped down a sacrifice bunt. Shifflett was barely out at first, but McCray never stopped her full speed sprint around third base, taking an extra base at home plate for the game’s first run.
McCray had three hits on the night, the only Lope with multiple hits on the evening. She scored after every hit in the leadoff spot, where she has been all season.
The third inning looked similar for GCU as McCray once again singled and stole to start the inning. This time Holtorf bunted her over to third base and Jada Cooper scored McCray on a sacrifice fly.
The evening in Albuquerque included wind gusts up to 15 mph and may have been the reason Cooper has a sac fly in the scorebook rather than a home run. Off the bat, it appeared to be a long ball that would put the Lopes up 3-0, but New Mexico’s center fielder Hayden Luderer caught the fly ball at the warning track in right-center.
Batterton, making her 11th start of the season, got through the first two frames unscathed with a strikeout and a pair of walks. In the third inning, last week’s MW Player of the Week Miracle McKenzie lined a two-run shot over the wall in left field to even the game at 2-2.
Batterton would go the next three innings only allowing three more singles and striking out four, putting her in line for the win thanks to the fourth inning explosion from GCU’s offense.
The explosion began with a no-doubter to deep center field from Emily Gonzalez to start the top of the fourth, her fifth homer of the season. The Lopes were not done, as Mackenzie Nolan reached on a hit by pitch, Tinley Lucas reached on a fielder’s choice error by the pitcher and Wilkinson walked.
A wild pitch struck next with McCray up to the plate. Nolan easily scored, while Lucas who thought she had been obstructed in the base path, went home thinking it would be awarded to her. She was instead tagged out and after an umpire meeting the call stood.
Two freshmen came through with two outs to extend the lead. First, Holtorf singled in the Lopes fifth run. She holds the second-best batting average on the team at .359. She just trails Shifflett, who singled up the middle on a 1-2 count scoring another two runs.
Shifflett is hitting .406 through the first 28 games of the season. The freshman left fielder has hits in 16 of her 23 starts this year.
Maggie Place took over late in the sixth inning in the circle, closing out the final inning and a third. She escaped the seventh inning with the bases loaded to hold the 7-2 win.
GCU still holds the nation’s best record at 28-0, one of three undefeateds around the country. Tennessee and Alabama both won over ranked SEC opponents on Friday as well, moving the Vols to 26-0 and the Crimson Tide to 25-0.
Grand Canyon returns to Lobo Softball Field Saturday at 1 p.m. (Phoenix time), 2 p.m. (N.M.) for game two of the opening conference series.