Box Score SHAWNEE, OK. – After a solid start earlier in the afternoon, Grand View returned to the field looking to leave with a clean sheet as they squared off against the Eagles of Avila University. Behind timely power at the plate and a dominant showing in the circle, the Vikings controlled the game from start to finish in a 7-1 victory.

GRAND VIEW 7, AVILA 1
Grand View wasted no time getting on the board. In the bottom of the first, Grace Anderson created early pressure on the basepaths and came around to score on a wild pitch, giving the Vikings a 1-0 edge.
The defense backed the early momentum. In the top half of the inning, Reese Cooley cut down a runner attempting to advance for the third out, halting a potential Avila rally before it could begin.
The Vikings added to their lead in the second. Gabriella Taber reached and later crossed the plate on an RBI single to center by Alexia Jarrett, stretching the advantage to 2-0.
Avila answered in the third with a solo home run to left, trimming the margin to 2-1, but that would be the only blemish of the afternoon for the Grand View pitching staff.
The turning point came in the fourth.
With one swing, Taber ignited the Vikings' dugout, launching a solo home run to push the lead to 3-1. Moments later, pinch hitter Ceara Swanson delivered the decisive blow — a three-run shot to left field that scored Jarrett and Chloe Kottlowski and capped a four-run inning. In a matter of minutes, Grand View extended its lead to 6-1 and seized full control.
The inning wasn't just defined by offense. In the top of the fourth, Taber made a highlight-reel diving catch in the outfield to rob Avila of a potential extra-base hit, preserving momentum and energizing the Vikings.
Grand View tacked on an insurance run in the sixth when Makenna Foster singled home Anderson, making it 7-1.
From there, the pitching trio shut the door.
Claire Leinen earned the win, tossing four innings while allowing just one earned run on four hits. Macy Blomgren was dominant in relief, striking out four across two scoreless innings and allowing just one hit. Addison Halstead closed the game with a scoreless seventh, striking out three of the four batters she faced to secure the victory.
The Vikings totaled nine hits on the afternoon. Taber led the way with two hits, a home run, two runs scored, and an RBI, while Swanson's three-run blast proved to be the game's biggest swing. Anderson scored twice and wreaked havoc on the basepaths, and Jarrett added an RBI knock in the second.
It was power. It was defense. It was pitching depth.
And it was another complete performance for the Vikings in Shawnee.

GAME NOTES
• Claire Leinen earned the win (4.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 SO).
• Macy Blomgren struck out four in two scoreless innings of relief.
• Addison Halstead fanned three in a dominant seventh inning.
• Gabriella Taber (HR) and Ceara Swanson (3 RBI HR) powered the offense.
• Grand View recorded nine hits and struck out eight Avila batters.

UP NEXT
Grand View heads to Melbourne, Florida, for games at the Space Coast Complex on February 27. Opponents and game times are still to be determined as the Vikings look to carry this momentum into their next stretch of competition.