GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – University of Colorado Colorado Springs sophomore center fielder Whitney Weber scored the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh inning, but the Mountain Lions gave up two runs in the bottom of the seventh in a 4-3 loss to Colorado State-Pueblo in the 2016 RMAC Tournament. UCCS finished the season at 21-23 in the 13th conference tournament appearance in program history. 

Weber, Makenna Smith, Haley Smith and Nikki Hoffman each finished the game with two hits. Weber, Hoffman and Makenna smith made up the three runs for the Mountain Lions. Haley Smith pitched the complete game in 6.1 innings and finished her freshman season with a team-best 10 victories.

Both teams opened with strong defenses as the first nine batters of the game went down in order through the top of the second inning. CSU-Pueblo started the bottom of the second inning with back-to-back singles and scored the first runs of the game to open a 2-0 lead against the Mountain Lions.

Hoffman led off the fourth inning with a single up the middle, and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from Melissa Martinek. Hoffman scored on a single by Makenna Smith, and Smith went to second on the throw to home. She scored after Haley Smith singled up the middle to tie the game at 2-2 against the ThunderWolves. A pop out in the infield ended the rally for the Mountain Lions in the top of the fourth.

Haley Smith retired nine straight batters from the third through fifth innings in the pitching circle to limit the CSU-Pueblo offense. The Mountain Lions left runners on first and second in both the fifth and sixth innings as the teams headed to seventh in a 2-2 tie.

Weber beat out the throw at first base to lead off the top of the seventh inning, and reached scoring position with a steal of second base. Hoffman hit a ball that bounced and popped over the pitcher's head and stayed out of a reach of a diving second baseman to allow Weber to score the go-ahead run in the seventh. Back-to-back fly outs to the outfield marked the final outs of the inning as UCCS took a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh.

The ThunderWolves led off the bottom of the inning with a single to right field, and scored after a fielding error in the outfield allowed the batter to advance to second base. Another single put runners on the corners with one out, and another hit to the outfield allowed the runner from third to score and secure the 4-3 decision.

The loss marks the end of the season for the Mountain Lions, who finished with the 15th 20-win season in program history. Dani Fonseca ended her career fifth in UCCS record books with 36 home runs and Paige Duncan turned an unassisted double play at first base in the sixth inning in her final game as a Mountain Lion.