COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Sophomore Payton Romines hit back-to-back walk off home runs to lead the University of Colorado Colorado Springs softball team to two wins on Sunday against Colorado State University-Pueblo.  Sunday's doubleheader against the ThunderWolves marked the home opener at Mountain Lion Field, and the first games of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference season.  UCCS (6-8, 2-0 RMAC) took game one in six innings, 11-3, and game two in five innings, 15-5.
 
In Sunday's first game, CSU-Pueblo (1-5, 0-2 RMAC plated the first run of the game with a run in the second inning.  UCCS responded in the bottom half, plating two runs on two hits and taking advantage of four errors.
 
Leigh Lancaster approached the plate with bases loaded and no outs and hit a blooper to the catcher than scored Lexi Andersen.  An error by CSUP let Amanda Nobles reach first base while scoring Romines. Alex Cook brought in the third run of the inning before Meghan Waidler scored on a fielding error.  Lancaster scored the final run of the inning when Glover reached base on an error.
 
The Pack added another run in the third and fifth innings.  UCCS took a 6-2 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning when Cook doubled to bring in Melissa Martinek.  With two outs, Taylor Reidhead hit a single to center field that scored Martinek from first base. 
 
The Mountain Lions continued their hitting spree in the fifth inning with four runs to take a 10-3 lead.  Romines led off the inning with a double to centerfield.  Two outs later, Sawyer Brewster entered the game as a pinch hitter and banged out a two-run home run. After a pitching change, Martinek and Cook each drew a walk.  Rayle Glover loaded the bases on a fielding error by CSUP that scored Cook and Martinek. 
 
Heading into the sixth inning with a seven-run lead, Romines again led off the inning and boomed a shot over the center field fence to run rule the Pack, 11-3.
 
Romines finished the game going 3-for-4 at the plate with three runs scored and a run batted in.  Six Mountain Lions combined to record eight hits and draw four walks.
 
Reidhead earned her second win of the season in the circle, allowing three runs on 10 hits and sitting down nine batters.
 
The Mountain Lions continued their strong play in game two and scored early to take a 5-1 lead after two innings. 
 
Martinek tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the first inning after she led off with a home run to center field.  The Mountain Lions left the inning with bases loaded without recording another hit after batters reached base on an error, walk and fielder's choice.
 
UCCS' defense held the ThunderWolves to three-up, three-down in the second inning before a scoring spree in the bottom half.  Nobles started the hits with a double to centerfield.  After Martinek drew a walk, Cook fouled out but resulted in Nobles plating a run and Martinek advancing to second base.  Glover brought home Martinek with a two-run dinger to left field.  Reidhead repeated with a home run over the left field fence to give UCCS a 5-1 lead after two innings.
 
CSUP chipped in two runs in the third inning to cut into the Mountain Lions lead, 5-3.
 
UCCS responded in the bottom of the third with another four-run inning.  Peyton Reisman's double scored Sierra Batchelor who entered the game as a pinch runner.  Cook hit one of five home runs in the game when she tallied a three-run shot to center field to score Martinek and Nobles.
 
Holding onto a 9-5 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth inning, the Mountain Lions put the game away with six runs on two hits.  Taylor White and Lancaster started the inning with walks.  Nobles loaded the bases after she was hit by a pinch before Martinek's double brought home Lancaster and White.  Cook drew another walk and Martinek advanced to third base after tagging up on a fly out by Glover.  With two outs and runners on the corners, Reidhead drew the fourth walk of the inning to load the bases, setting up Romines for a grand slam and a 15-5 victory.
 
After five innings of action, the Mountain Lions were walked eight times and posted nine hits.  Martinek notched two hits, three runs batted in and scored four times.
 
Eight of the Mountain Lions hits were extra base hits, as Martinek registered a double and home run, Nobles and Resiman each added a double, and Cook, Glover, Reidhead and Romines went yard.
 
Duffey pitched all five innings, striking out two batters and allowing three earned runs on 10 hits. 
 
In both games combined, UCCS scored 26 runs on 17 hits, drew 12 walks and posted 12 extra base hits.
 
Both teams will be back in action Monday morning.  First pitch of the doubleheader will go out at 11 a.m.