PHOENIX — Utah Valley dropped both ends of a doubleheader to the GCU Lopes on Friday, falling 9-2 and 7-4 at GCU Softball Stadium.
The Wolverines (9-16, 3-2 WAC) let a pair of early leads slip away, as the Lopes (25-7, 4-1 WAC) came from behind to win both games. Free passes plagued UVU pitchers in both games, as the Wolverines combined to give out 13 walks.
GAME ONE
Avery Sapp got the start in game one, and threw a complete game. Sapp struck out five, but walked seven in six innings pitched.
All of Utah Valley's offense came in the first inning. After a pair of singles by Amber Rodriguez and Peyton Hall, Halle Morris poked a two-run single through the right side to give the Wolverines the early lead.
The lead wouldn't last for long, as the Lopes would plate two runs of their own in the bottom of the frame.
Hailey Hudson had the Wolverine hitters off-balance from the second inning on. After allowing two runs in the first, Hudson would only allow one more baserunner the rest of the evening on a hit-by-pitch while striking out eight.
UVU and GCU traded zeroes until the fourth, when the Lopes broke out for three runs. GCU nearly finished off the game an inning later by scoring four, but left what would've been the winning run stranded in scoring position.
GAME TWO
The Wolverines jumped out to another first-inning lead in game two, with this one taking just two batters. Rodriguez led off the game with a triple — her third of the season — then was singled home by Libbie Hawker. Rodriguez and Hawker combined for four hits, while the other seven spots in the lineup only had two.
Utah Valley scored a second run in the second on a very strange play. With runners on second and third and Angelique Mann at the plate, a wild pitch brought in Victoria Vasquez from third. Mann, who thought she was hit by the pitch, took off for first and advanced to second, but the umpires called her out for batter's interference by running on the bases when she shouldn't have.
Halle Morris got the start in the circle, and had a strong first two innings before getting touched up in the next two. Morris tied a career high with six strikeouts, but also walked five in four-plus innings.
The Lopes took the lead for good with two runs in the fourth and four in the fifth. Rachael Brown gave the Wolverines some life with a pinch hit two-run homer in the sixth to make it 7-4, but UVU wouldn't get any closer.
The Wolverines will look to avoid the sweep in tomorrow's series finale. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. MT, and the game will be streamed on ESPN+.
