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PHOENIX — The University of Iowa softball team swept day one of the Grand Canyon Invitational with a 5-0 victory over Georgetown in game one and a 12-1, five-inning win over Grand Canyon in game two at the GCU Softball Stadium.
Iowa used a big first inning to take an early lead over the Hoyas. Mallory Kilian smacked her second home run of the season before Devin Cantu hit an RBI single, plating Aralee Bogar. Cantu then scored on a sacrifice fly by McKenzie Schneider, while Sarah Kurtz gave Iowa the 4-0 advantage, scoring on a wild pitch.
The Hawkeyes added a run in the top of the fifth inning when Kilian’s sacrifice fly scored Cheyenne Pratt, giving Iowa the 5-0 victory over Georgetown.
Iowa kept its momentum going against Grand Canyon, taking an early lead. Bogar scored on an Allie Wood single, and Kurtz scored as Wood stole second base in the first inning. Pratt then scored in the bottom of the second inning when Cantu grounded out, giving Iowa the 3-0 advantage.
The Hawkeyes extended their lead in the third inning, scoring nine runs on five hits and two Lope errors to go up 12-0. GCU added a solo run in the top of the fourth inning, but the Hawkeyes secured the 12-1, five-inning victory over Grand Canyon to conclude the day 2-0.
Lauren Shaw (2-3) earned the win over the Hoyas with a complete game shutout. She threw a career-high six strikeouts and allowed just four hits in 7.0 innings pitched.
Allison Doocy (4-3) earned the win against Grand Canyon. She had three strikeouts and allowed just one run in 4.0 innings pitched.
NOTABLES
- Kilian had two stolen bases against Georgetown. These were the first two stolen bases of her career.
- Kilian’s home run against the Hoyas was her second of the season and the eighth of her career.
- Shaw recorded a career-best six strikeouts against Georgetown. This was her second complete game of the season.
- Iowa scored nine runs in the bottom of the third inning against GCU. This is the most runs the Hawkeyes have scored in one inning this season.
- Three Hawkeyes had multiple hits against the Lopes: Kilian (2), Kurtz (2), and Wood (2).
QUOTING HEAD COACH MARLA LOOPER
“Our confidence level is pretty high. We believe that we can step on the field with anyone. When we step on the field against a team that isn’t ranked, we need to make sure we are still taking care of business. Today, we did that well. We have to continue to do that through this weekend and through the week.
“Shaw did a nice job. She pounded the zone when she needed to. She let her defense play behind her. We had a couple of nice double plays that she allowed us to have. She did a nice job of getting ahead in the count. I’m proud of her performance today.
“We did a nice job of continuing to attack in that second game. In the first game, we left too many opportunities on the bases. Our mindset in game two was to attack. There was one inning where we didn’t score, so tomorrow our goal is to score in every inning.”
RECORDS UPDATE
- Iowa: 7-7
- Grand Canyon: 15-12
- Georgetown: 6-15
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes face Georgetown at 11 a.m. (CT) and Grand Canyon at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday at the GCU Softball Stadium.
