Instant Classic: Top-Seeded Grand Canyon Softball Outlasts Upset-Minded New Mexico, 7-6

GCU slugger Alina Satcher (42) celebrates with her teammates after hitting a two-run homer against the San Jose State Spartans on March 21, 2026. | Josh Cale/GCU Athletics To kick off the second day of the Mountain West Tournament, the underdog New Mexico Lobos, fresh off of their first conference tournament victory in 21 years, were forced to go toe-to-toe with the juggernaut top-seeded Grand Canyon Lopes in the opening game of the double-elimination stage of the tournament. Trailing 6-2 in the bottom of the seventh inning, GCU scored five runs, three of them with two outs, to outlast the upset-minded Lobos in a 7-6 classic.

Oakley Vickers got the start for the Lopes, while Caitlin Benningfield got the nod for New Mexico. The two pitchers started off the game by sitting down each of the opposing team’s top three hitters. Rather surpisingly, it was Vickers that allowed the game’s first baserunner with a walk in the second, but three consecutive strikeouts provided more than enough evidence that her composure was intact.

The Lopes scored first with a Trinity Martin solo shot to dead center in the bottom of the second. Outside of that, the defensive excellence continued on both sides, with Benningfield trying her best to keep up with Vickers in the strikeout department. DeNae Vasquez-Dickson recorded the first hit of the game for the Lobos with her bunt single in the top of the third, but neither team could get the slightest bit of traction offensively outside of that.

The top of the sixth was where things really got going. Vasquez-Dickson led off the frame with her second single of the game, which compelled MW Coach of the Year Shanon Hays to pull Vickers out of the game in favor of Taryn Batterton. Batterton immediately proved that to be a highly questionable decision, immediately giving up an ultra-long double to Gabrielle Briones which drove Vasquez-Dickson home for the game-tying run.