After wading through postponements and cancellations in its first two National Club Softball Association Pacific Region South Conference series, the Grand Canyon University Club Softball team posted its first three-game sweep of the 2024 campaign over the University of Southern California Saturday at Paradise Valley High School in Phoenix. The Lopes' defense held the Trojans at bay in winning the first two games of the day, 3-0 and 5-2, before GCU's offense uncorked in Game 3 to the tune of a 15-7 victory. The sweep firmly entrenched the Lopes in 2^nd place in the Pacific Region South standings (behind undefeated Northern Arizona University) with a 10-2 conference mark, while USC dropped to a 3-6 record.
 
Game 1:  GCU 3, USC 0
 
Game 1 was officially the Marly Stueber Show as the Lopes' senior hurler allowed a walk to the Trojans' first hitter of the game, then didn't allow another baserunner until a two-out single in the 5^th. By that time, a Rose Castillo RBI double and an ensuing Emma Pinkstaff single to score Castillo in the 2^nd inning staked Stueber to a 2-0 lead. The Trojans threatened to eradicate the lead with three 6^th-inning singles, but USC's Marjoelle Palacios was thrown out at home to end the threat. The Lopes added an insurance run in the bottom of the 6^th, and that was more than enough for Stueber, who retired the side in order in the 7^th to preserve the four-hit shutout. Castillo and 3^rd baseman Jordyn Thompson both went 2-for-3 at the plate for the Lopes - with Castillo responsible for all three runs by knocking in two and scoring the third.
 
Game 2:  GCU 5, USC 2
 
The Trojans' offense scored the game's first run and pumped out 11 hits, but neither was enough to get the win nor chase Lopes' starting pitcher Bailey Pool. The Lopes' freshman only retired the Trojans in order once, but also frustrated them by stranding seven USC runners in scoring position in going the distance. The Lopes' offense slowly gave Pool run support, scoring one in the bottom of the first inning to tie the game, using two singles and two walks in the next inning to give her a 3-1 edge, and adding runs in the 4^th and 5^th (the latter on a solo blast by GCU shortstop Rachel Stephens) to put the game out of reach. Alexandra Urbaszewski, Yesenia Ahumada and Reagan Ramcke had two hits apiece to pace the Lopes' attack.
 
Game 3:  GCU 15, USC 7 (F/6)
 
The Lopes eliminated the suspense about the game's outcome very early with 13 runs in the first three innings. GCU batted around in each inning, using errant USC pitching and a Denise Lopez RBI double to score four in the 1^st; using a double, two singles, two walks and an error to score four more in the 2^nd; then five more hits – including a Taylor DeShon RBI double – in the third. By the time Emily Reilly crossed the plate to invoke the eight-run mercy rule in the 6^th, the Lopes had belted out 18 hits (15 of them singles). DeShon and Lopes' catcher Megan Reichley led the way with three hits apiece, while five different Lopes knocked in two RBI each. Stueber was back on the bump to pick up her second complete-game win of the day, allowing six earned runs over six innings.
 
The Lopes will take a full month off from conference play before heading north to Flagstaff for a much-anticipated three-game showdown with NAU on Saturday, April 6. The Lopes' lone 2024 tripleheader at GCU Softball Stadium happens Saturday, April 13, when GCU closes out the regular season schedule against UCLA beginning at 10AM.