Box Score

RIVERSIDE, CA – Grand Canyon has been the unstoppable force in the Western Athletic Conference all season long, and this week was no different as the Lopes won three straight games capped off with a 4-3 11-inning victory over Tarleton State in the 2025 University Credit Union WAC Softball Tournament championship game to claim their fourth consecutive conference championship title. The Lopes’ 23^rd straight win makes Grand Canyon only the second program to have four WAC softball tournament championships.

Emily Gonzalez captured the game-winning hit and the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award with a monster home run to dead center in the top of the 11^th inning to break the 3-3 tie that stood for the previous seven innings.

Maggie Place picked up her 10^th win of the season after a dominant performance in the pitching circle, throwing a scoreless final eight frames of the game for her longest outing of the year. After coming out of the bullpen in the fourth inning, Place struck out five batters, didn’t allow any walks and gave up only five hits.

The Lopes were able to jump on the board early in the first inning after a dropped pop-up by Tarleton State with the bases loaded led to two GCU runs. The Texans, however, recovered from their error with a two-RBI single from Kalyn Hill in the bottom half of the first inning to even the score. Austin Germain gave Tarleton State the 3-2 lead in the second inning with an RBI single to left center. Willa Ford drove in the third Grand Canyon run in the following inning with a sacrifice fly to center field. The score would remain tied at three for the next seven innings before Gonzalez delivered the championship winning homer.

Shelby Schultz was on the other end of the championship pitching duel as the Texan went 8.1 innings deep, struck out six and allowed only one walk and the one run to Gonzalez.

Savannah Kirk, Makaiya Gomez, and Mackenzie Nolan all nabbed two-hit games for Grand Canyon while Hill and Jaelynn Duke both recorded a pair of hits for Tarleton State.
 
Gonzalez was named as the 2025 WAC Most Outstanding Player after batting .333 in the tournament with the most important hit of the year for Grand Canyon along with three RBI, three walks drawn, a double and a run scored. Joining Gonzalez on the all-tournament team from GCU was Gomez, Kirk and Place. Tarleton State was represented by Hill, Germain, Schultz and Hannah Blincoe. California Baptist’s Kalena Burns, Seattle U’s Taylor Fitch and Utah Valley’s Payge Armendariz were also 2025 WAC All-Tournament Team honorees.

Grand Canyon will now await the 2025 NCAA softball selection show on Sunday, May 11 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2 where they will learn where they are heading for regionals.

2025 University Credit Union WAC Softball Tournament All-Tournament Team
Kalena Burns, Gr., IF, California Baptist
Emily Gonzalez, Jr., UTL, Grand Canyon (Most Outstanding Player)
Makaiya Gomez, Gr., OF, Grand Canyon
Savannah Kirk, So., IF, Grand Canyon
Maggie Place, So., P, Grand Canyon
Taylor Fitch, Jr., IF, Seattle U
Hannah Blincoe, Sr., P, Tarleton State
Austin Germain, Sr., IF, Tarleton State
Kalyn Hill, Sr., C, Tarleton State
Shelby Schultz, Fr., P, Tarleton State
Payge Armendariz, Jr., P/IF, Utah Valley