The New Mexico Lobos came within inches of a stunning upset in the Mountain West Softball Tournament on Thursday, only to see it slip away in dramatic fashion. After catcher Jessica DeLeon launched a two-out grand slam in the top of the seventh inning—a towering shot over the left field wall against former teammate and UNM transfer pitcher Natalie Fritz—the Lobos held a 6-2 lead and seemed poised to topple nationally-ranked Grand Canyon.

But the top-seeded Lopes, the Mountain West regular season champions, showed why they're a Top 25 powerhouse. In the bottom of the seventh, Grand Canyon methodically rallied for five runs, snatching a heart-wrenching 7-6 victory at Hixson Softball Park in Reno. The comeback erased New Mexico's hard-fought advantage and left the Lobos reeling in the loser's bracket.

The game had been a pitcher's duel through six innings. GCU starter Oakley Vickers struck out 10 in 6⅓ innings, while UNM's Caitlin Benningfield went the distance, fanning five. The Lobos (27-26) had entered the tournament riding high, winners of eight of their last ten games, and their near-upset proved they can compete with the best.

Now, New Mexico faces a steep climb to keep their season alive. They'll play an elimination game on Friday at 4 p.m. MDT against either Nevada or UNLV. If they win, they'll play a second elimination game immediately after. To survive, the Lobos would need to win two games on Friday and two more on Saturday—a daunting but not impossible task for a team with momentum on their side.

For Grand Canyon (49-7), the scare was a wake-up call. "To beat a team like New Mexico, who's been playing so well, that's a feather in our cap," GCU coach Shanon Hays said in a postgame interview. The Lopes advance to the winner's bracket, but they know the Lobos nearly spoiled their tournament run.

In other tournament action, No. 5 seed New Mexico State's season ended Thursday with a 3-1 loss to No. 7 Louisiana Tech in an 11-inning marathon in Newark, Delaware. Faith Aragon pitched all 11 innings for the Aggies, allowing just one earned run through ten frames while striking out 11—a gutsy performance that wasn't quite enough to extend their postseason.

All Mountain West Tournament games are streaming live on TheMW.com, so fans can catch every pitch as the drama unfolds in Reno.