PHOENIX — Rachael Brown hit two home runs and drove in five and Halle Morris provided a spark at the plate and in the circle to lead Utah Valley (10-15, 4-2 WAC) to an 8-2 win over the Grand Canyon Lopes (25-8, 4-2 WAC) on Saturday afternoon at GCU Softball Stadium.
Morris pitched four innings, allowing one earned run, to get the win, while also reaching base four times and scoring twice. Morris went 1-for-1 at the dish with a walk, two hit-by-pitches, and an RBI single. Morris also filled in at first base, her first action as a position player this season.
Britney Moreno went 1-for-3 with a home run, and Megan Gibbs went 2-for-3 with an RBI single.
"Rachael has come up clutch in some big situations with runners on," said head coach Cody Thomson. "Britney's home run was the spark that we needed to get going. Halle was a difference-maker for us today, being able to play first for us and providing a spark at the plate and in the circle."
Moreno hit her first home run of the season to help spark the Wolverine offense. After the Lopes plated a run off of a throwing error in the bottom of the first, Moreno's solo blast leveled the scoring.
The Wolverines got out of a major jam in the third without allowing a single run. GCU ran itself out of a bases loaded and one out situation following a single, as two runners wound up on second base. UVU was able to turn that play into an out at the plate. Morris then got a groundout to first to get out of the jam.
After Morris was hit by a pitch to lead off the fourth, Brown hit her first of two home runs, an opposite field shot to right that plated pinch runner Laynee Betancur.
GCU cut the deficit in half in the fifth, but threatened for much more. The Lopes had the bases loaded and nobody out, but couldn't get a hit the remainder of the inning. The lone run came in to score on a grounder to short, but the Wolverine defense was able to escape the jam with a pair of lineouts.
Megan Gibbs brought home a much-needed insurance run in the top of the sixth to push the lead back up to two. Gibbs hit a jam shot just over the second baseman to drive in Morris, who was able to get a two-out jump on the play.
Victoria Vasquez and Amber Rodriguez reached to lead off the seventh, but the next two batters were retired and were unable to bring them in or move them over. Morris stepped up and hit a sharp grounder through the left side to bring home Vasquez. Brown then hit a towering shot to left center to put the game away.
UP NEXT
Utah Valley will not play any midweek games this week. The Wolverines will return to action next weekend in Texas with another road series at Abilene Christian. The two teams will play a doubleheader on Friday, with a single game on Saturday. All three games will be broadcast live on WAC International.
