PHOENIX — The UC Santa Barbara softball team dropped its final game of the Purple Classic to host school Grand Canyon 6-1 on Sunday. Despite the loss, UC Santa Barbara managed to tally six hits, with their lone run coming in the third inning.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
In the first inning, Grand Canyon capitalized on an opportunity as a foul out brought home the Lopes' first run of the game. The score was 1-0 in favor of GCU after the first inning as the Gauchos could not manage any offense in their half of the first.
 
In the third inning, UC Santa Barbara responded when Dani Rauscher singled and later scored on a double steal, leveling the score. The inning concluded with a tie at 1-1.
 
The fifth inning saw GCU pull away decisively. A single initiated a sequence that culminated with a grand slam to deep center field. By the end of the inning, the Antelopes had tacked on five and led 6-1.
 
Despite strong efforts, UC Santa Barbara was unable to close the gap in the remaining innings. The final score was Grand Canyon 6, UC Santa Barbara 1.
 
UP NEXT
UC Santa Barbara will return to the friendly confines of Campus Diamond during the upcoming weekend. The Gauchos will host LIU and Iowa State, playing each team three times over the course of four days. All UC Santa Barbara games will be broadcast on ESPN+ with live stats available.