RIVERSIDE, CA. – No. 1 Grand Canyon heads to the 2025 University Credit Union WAC Softball Tournament championship game as the final unbeaten team after beating No. 2 Tarleton State in the first semifinal game 5-0. The Texans will have a chance for redemption against the Lopes on Saturday as they eliminated No. 8 Utah Valley in a 4-0 semifinal victory and will head to the championship game for the first time in program history. The Wolverines were able to battle Tarleton State after defeating No. 4 Seattle U 9-8 in dramatic comeback fashion in the final quarterfinal game.

Grand Canyon and Tarleton State will fight for the tournament trophy and for an automatic bid to the NCAA regionals at 11 a.m. PT (moved from 1 p.m. PT due to extreme heat in Riverside) on Saturday, May 10. If the Texans were to force the ‘if necessary’ game 13, it would take place once the weather is in suitable playing conditions.

Game 9 – No. 1 Grand Canyon 5, No. 2 Tarleton State 0 | Box Score

Grand Canyon advanced to its fourth consecutive WAC Championship game after shutting out the second seeded Texans 5-0. Meghan Golden got the start for GCU and improved her record to 14-0 after going 4.1 innings deep, allowing only four hits and two walks. Maggie Place went the rest of the way in the pitching circle for the Lopes, picking up the save while not allowing any baserunners in 2.2 innings of work.

Nine different Lopes recorded a hit in the game, led by WAC Player of the Year Savannah Kirk who tallied two hits and scored twice.

Game 10 – No. 8 Utah Valley 9, No. 4 Seattle U 8 | Box Score

Utah Valley’s Cinderella run kept on rolling following an incredible comeback where the Wolverines scored seven runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to overcome an 8-2 deficit and take the win from Seattle U 9-8. This win was Utah Valley’s third victory of the tournament.

Prior to the bottom of the sixth inning, Seattle U scored two in the fourth, two in the fifth and three in the top of the sixth to expand its lead to 8-2. Utah Valley responded in a big way when four straight Wolverine walks ignited a seven-run inning that saw four hits including Megan Gibbs’ game-winning two-run single that put the Wolverines back in front.

The Wolverines tallied nine hits across six players with two-hit performances from Amber Rodriguez (2 R, 1 RBI), Payge Armendariz (2 RBI, 1 R) and Peyton Hall.

Seattle U collected 11 hits from seven Redhawks led by Taylor Fitch’s 3-for-3 game, as she picked up two doubles, an RBI, a run scored and a walk. Jasmine Wehn drove in three runs in part of a 2-for-4 day and Abbie Fales brought in two Seattle U runs with a home run over left field.

Game 11 – No. 2 Tarleton State 4, No. 8 Utah Valley 0 | Box Score

Hannah Blincoe recorded her third consecutive complete game shutout, and her second of the tournament, in the Texans’ 4-0 semifinal victory over Utah Valley. Tarleton State makes the championship game in its first year of postseason eligibility.
 
Blincoe threw another seven innings of scoreless softball on Friday, this time against the Wolverines as she allowed only three hits and three walks while striking out eight batters. Blincoe has now gone 21 straight innings without giving up a run. In those 21 innings, she allowed only nine hits and totaled 28 strikeouts.
 
Austin Germain notched two hits in three at-bats and produced two runs for the Texans with one RBI and one run scored.