(Phoenix, AZ) The Park University Gilbert softball team split their season-opening series Friday afternoon, on the road against the Nelson University Arizona Warriors at the Rose Mofford Sports Complex.
Game 1
Buccaneers head coach TJ Stower secured the first win of his collegiate coaching career in dominant fashion, as Park-Gilbert cruised to a 6-0 victory in the 2025 regular season opener.
Not only is this the first time the Bucs won the first game of the season, but it’s also the first time they shut their opponent out on Opening Day.
In her first at-bat, catcher Lina Sanchez got the scoring started early for Park-Gilbert with a solo home run in the top of the second inning.
In the fourth and fifth innings, third baseman Illeana Rivera’s bat caught on fire as she extended the Bucs’ lead to 6-0 with two home runs, tying the program’s single-game home run record.
In the top of the fourth, Rivera hit a solo home run out of the park. In the top of the fifth, with runners Nicole Gumm and Sorcha Walker on second and third base, Illeana hit her second homer of the day bringing her RBI total to four. She’s now the 14th player in Buccaneers softball history to record 4+ RBIs in one game.
Samara Romero, the sophomore transfer from Yavapai College, got the start in game one and had arguably the best debut of any Park-Gilbert pitcher in school history. She pitched all seven innings, allowing no runs and four hits as she struck out six batters with 77 total pitches.
Park-Gilbert totaled 10 hits to Nelson’s four, with neither team recording an error.
Game 2
The Buccaneers lost 7-3, dropping the second game of the season-opening doubleheader against Nelson Friday afternoon.
After Park-Gilbert shut Nelson out in game 1, the Warriors’ bats gained the momentum needed to even the doubleheader.
After a quiet and scoreless first three innings, Nelson shortstop Destiny Medina reached home to put Nelson up 1-0 off a sac fly from second baseman Vanessa Philpot.
Park-Gilbert took the 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth inning when Sanchez homered again, bringing Rivera home. This was Sanchez’s second homer and first RBI of the day between both games. In the bottom of the fourth, Nelson tied things up at 2 off an RBI double from first baseman Allie Usleber.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Elisa Garcia came in relief for starting pitcher Nicole Darby. Nelson chased Garcia with four runs and four hits in 1/3 of the inning to take a 6-2 lead.
In the top of the sixth, Rivera sent another ball flying with her first home run of the game and third of the day, cutting the Warriors’ lead to 6-3. Nelson took their four-run lead back shortly after in the bottom of the sixth off a passed ball.
Darby, the Buccaneers’ starting pitcher in game 2, threw 61 pitches in four innings while allowing four hits and two runs. Garcia faced four batters in the fifth inning, before Mana Risati came in to close the final 1.2 innings out with 11 pitches.
In game 2 the Bucs had six hits to Nelson’s 10 in game two, while both teams recorded a pair of errors. Park-Gilbert moves to 1-1 on the season, meanwhile Nelson gains its first win since their season-opening game against Arizona Christian last Friday.
Up Next
The Buccaneers softball team gears up for its first home series of the 2025 season, when they face La Sierra University for a doubleheader on Feb. 13. The first pitch of Game 1 is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. MST at Arizona Athletic Grounds in Mesa, Arizona.
Press Release courtesy of Park University Athletics – Garrett Campbell
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