The final game of day three at the 2026 Mountain West Softball Tournament featured a rematch between fourth-seeded New Mexico and top-seeded GCU. The Lobos entered desperate for revenge after blowing a four-run lead in the seventh inning of their earlier loss to the Lopes. GCU, meanwhile, had just fallen to Nevada in a high-scoring affair, dropping into the loser’s bracket unexpectedly. Despite a messy contest, the Lopes prevailed 11-7, securing their place in the MW Championship.
Taryn Batterton started for GCU, facing Lobo backup Arianna Capek in a surprising pitching duel. Batterton walked three of her first four batters, throwing two wild pitches that advanced DeNae Vasquez-Dickson to third. She struck out Lobo slugger Miracle McKenzie but then surrendered a two-run double—Melanie Macias was thrown out trying to reach third, limiting the damage. Still, New Mexico led 2-0 after the top of the first.
Capek’s first at-bat was a 12-pitch battle against Sydney McCray, who walked. After another walk, Jada Cooper launched a towering three-run home run, a no-doubter that electrified the crowd. Then, McKenna Guest—expected by many to start—replaced Capek with no outs, entering down 1-0, essentially a handicap. Guest struggled, walking Trinity Martin and hitting Emily Gonzalez. Addison Shifflett followed with another three-run homer, putting GCU ahead 6-2 on just two hits. An RBI from McCray made it 7-2 before the inning mercifully ended.
In the second, Batterton allowed two hits and a walk but escaped unscored upon when Hayden Luderer was caught stealing third. New Mexico brought in junior Marina Tinari, who allowed a hit and a runner to third but kept GCU off the board, a first for Lobo pitching.
Batterton gave up a solo home run in the third—nearly robbed by McCray—then injured her knee two pitches later, becoming the second Lope to exit due to injury that day. Lilly Camp entered, fresh off allowing two runs in three innings against Nevada. Camp recorded back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning, preserving a 7-3 lead. The Lobo defense responded with two stellar plays and a strikeout of McCray, keeping the deficit at four entering the fourth.
After a scoreless fourth, New Mexico rallied in the fifth. An error and a double put two runners in scoring position, and back-to-back wild pitches brought them home. Fresh off a pinch-hit grand slam against Nevada, Alina Satcher came in to halt the Lobo momentum. Satcher struggled with control, allowing consecutive singles that cut GCU’s lead to one. With the go-ahead run on first, GCU summoned Oakley Vickers, hoping to save her for a potential championship start. Vickers delivered, retiring the next two batters to keep the lead intact.
In the bottom of the fifth, Shifflett blasted her second home run of the game, extending the Lopes’ advantage.
