CHADRON, Neb. – University of Colorado Colorado Springs junior
Nikki Hoffman went three-of-four and drove in the winning run in the seventh inning in the second game as the Mountain Lions (20-20, 17-18 RMAC) earned a split with Chadron State (26-16-1, 20-10 RMAC) to open the series at the CSC Softball Field. The Eagles won the first game 7-1 and the Mountain Lions responded with a 2-1 victory in the second game.
Hoffman drew the first of her three walks of game one to lead off the series and reached second before she was stranded in the top of the inning. Chadron State took the first lead of the game with two runs in the second inning. The Mountain Lions put runners in scoring position in the third and fifth innings but couldn't score while the Eagles expanded the lead with five runs in the bottom of the fifth for a 7-0 advantage.
Megan Duffy pinch hit for
Amanda Nobles to start the seventh inning and placed a single into right-center field before Nobles came back in as a pinch runner. Hoffman earned her final walk of the game to move Nobles to second, and Nobles moved to third after a fielder's choice put
Melissa Martinek on first base and took Hoffman out at second base.
Makenna Smith singled to left field to score Nobles from third, but a strikeout ended the scoring in a 7-1 loss for the Mountain Lions.
A leadoff double by Chadron State in the bottom of the first inning for game two led to a 1-0 lead for the Eagles before the Mountain Lions turned a double play to end the inning.
Whitney Weber tied the game in the third inning with a passed ball to score from third after she led off the inning with a single.
Dani Fonseca retired seven straight batters from the start of the third inning and into the fifth, and the Mountain Lions didn't let an Eagle get past first base until the sixth inning. UCCS had runners in scoring position in the fifth and sixth innings, and was able to score the go-ahead run in the seventh inning with a single to left field by Hoffman to score Weber from third. Chadron State reached second base with one out in the bottom of the seventh, but Fonseca earned a pair of pop-outs with two pitches to close the day with a 2-1 victory.
Fonseca earned the victory with her seventh complete game of the season and improved to 7-6. She allowed six hits and walked one batter in today's appearance.
Haley Smith took the loss in the first game.
The game two win pushed the season win total for the Mountain Lions to 20 in the 15th 20-win season in program history. UCCS will need one more win to secure an RMAC Tournament appearance without relying on results from other games on the final day of the regular season tomorrow.
Sunday's doubleheader between the Mountain Lions and Eagles will begin at 10 a.m., one hour earlier than scheduled, in an effort to play the games before forecasted showers move into northwest Nebraska.
