DURANGO, Colo. – In the first day of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference pod series hosted at Fort Lewis College, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs softball team plated 15 runs on 20 against FLC and Colorado School of Mines. The Mountain Lions lost the pod opener to the Skyhawks, 10-7, and game two to the Orediggers, 14-8, at Aspen Field in Durango, Colo.
The weekend's pod series marks the Mountain Lions third pod series in four weeks. The two losses move UCCS to 15-18 overall and 11-10 in league games.
Game One | FLC 10, UCCS 7
In the first game of the series, the Mountain Lions held a 5-1 deficit after the first inning before FLC (10-24, 5-16 RMAC) piled on five more runs in the fourth inning.
Facing a five-inning run rule decision, UCCS extended the game with two runs in the top of the fifth while holding the Skyhawks scoreless in the bottom half.
With two outs on the scoreboard,
Melissa Martinek drew a walk to reach base in the top of the fifth. She crossed home plate when the next batter,
Alex Cook, doubled to center field.
Peyton Reisman followed suit and added another double behind Cook to bring her home and cut into FLC's lead, 10-3.
UCCS' defense held FLC to no runs and one hit in the fifth and sixth innings while the offense burst open in the seventh inning. The Mountain Lions first two batters went down swinging but Martinek sparked a comeback with another walk. Cook moved Martinek to second base followed by a wild pitch that advanced both runners into scoring position. Reisman drilled a single to left field that scored Martinek.
Taylor Reidhead added two runs batted in off a double to left center.
Saleen Quinonez pinch ran for Reidhead and crossed home plate from Brewster's single for the fourth run of the inning, but the Mountain Lions rally fell short, 10-7.
Cook led the offense after connecting for three hits (two doubles), three runs scored and an RBI. Reisman added two hits and two RBI, as Brewster also drove in two runs from two hits.
Braelyne Crenshaw started in the circle and worked three full innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits. Reidhead closed the game, striking out three batters and surrendering four earned runs on five hits.
The Mountain Lions were edged in hits, 9-8, with four runs and four hits coming in the seventh inning. Five of FLC's runs came on five hits in the fourth inning.
Game Two | CSM 14, UCCS 8
Starting pitcher
Cami Duffey pitched the first four and one-third innings in game two of the day against Colorado School of Mines (15-11, 14-4 RMAC). Duffey allowed eight runs (five earned) on eight hits before Crenshaw closed the game.
The Mountain Lions held the Orediggers scoreless in the first two innings but CSM took a 3-0 lead over UCCS in the third inning after two errors by the Mountain Lions and two hits from the Orediggers.
Brewster put UCCS on the scoreboard in the fourth inning when she doubled to right center to bring in Reisman.
Payton Romines brought in her first of three runs in the game when she singled to score Brewster.
Down 5-2 heading into the fifth inning, the Mountain Lions notched their first lead of the day after scoring five runs on five hits. Resiman doubled down the left field line to score
Sierra Batchelor, followed by Reidhead's single that scored Martinek. After a Mines pitching change, Romines welcomed the new pitcher with a single up the middle that scored Reidhead and Reisman.
Lexi Andersen notched a sacrifice fly to left field that scored Brewster to give UCCS a 7-5 lead heading into the bottom half of the inning.
The Orediggers closed out the game outscoring UCCS 9-1.
Martinek posted three hits and scored twice as the Mountain Lions accumulated 12 hits. Reisman, Reidhead and Romines each chipped in two hits and combined to drive in six of UCCS' eight runs.
The Mountain Lions will start Sunday at 12 p.m. against Colorado School of Mines, before closing the pod series against the Skyhawks at approximately 2:30 p.m.
