GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Facing elimination, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs softball team charted an 11-0, five-inning win over Regis University Thursday night, advancing to the next round of the conference tournament. The No. 6 seed Mountain Lions lost the opening game to No. 3 seed Dixie State University Thursday morning, 9-4, before shutting out the No. 7 seed Rangers, 11-0, in the loser's bracket.
Game Two | UCCS 11, RU 0 (5 innings)
Both teams started the elimination game scoreless through the first two innings. In the top half of the third inning, RU drew a walk before
Alex Cook caught a fly ball for one out.
Leigh Lancaster retired the next two batters after catching a fly ball and then throwing out the first base runner before she tagged up.
UCCS bombarded the Rangers for four runs in the home half of the third inning. The Mountain Lions loaded the bases after two walks and a fielding error before
Taylor Reidhead singled to score
Melissa Martinek for the first run of the game.
Rayle Glover drove home
Alex Cook on a single up the middle, followed by a double from
Payton Romines that brought in Glover and Reidhead for a 4-0 UCCS lead after three innings.
The Mountain Lions held the Rangers in check in the fourth inning, stranding all three base runners to get out of the inning and keep RU scoreless.
UCCS nearly doubled their run output in the fifth inning, exploding for seven runs on five hits.
Peyton Reisman led off the inning with a double to center field.
Bryn Horton entered the game as a pinch runner for Reisman and quickly scored after Reidhead followed with a double of her own.
Saleen Quinonez pinch ran for Reidhead and was held at second base after two UCCS batters grounded out.
With two outs, one runner on base and one run in, Romines took advantage of a throwing error to reach first base that also scored Quinonez. UCCS loaded the bases and benefitted from a Rangers error that resulted in Romines scoring a run. With the bases still loaded, Cook unleashed a bomb over the left field fence to seal the win.
Cook finished the game going 2-for-4 with two runs and four RBI. Reidhead and Romines each added two hits, two RBI and scored one run.
Reidhead and
Braelyne Crenshaw combined for the Mountain Lions fourth shutout of the season. Reidhead held the Rangers to five hits in four innings of work while sitting down four batters. Crenshaw notched her third save of the season as she held RU without a run or hit in the final inning of work.
Game One | DSU 9, UCCS 4
Dixie State snagged a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning from three hits. The Mountain Lions posted their first run of the game in the top half of the third inning.
Sawyer Brewster led off the inning with a single to left field and then moved to second base on a passed ball. Two batters and two outs later,
Alex Cook hit a hard ball to short stop to score Brewster.
UCCS tied the game at 3-3 in the fourth inning.
Taylor Reidhead started the inning drawing a walk and crossed home plate after
Lexi Andersen hit her fifth home run of the season.
The Trailblazers regained the lead in the bottom half of the fourth, 5-3. UCCS was held to three-up, three-down in the fifth before DSU piled on three more runs in the fifth inning to increase their lead to five runs, 8-3.
The Mountain Lions started a comeback in the sixth inning. Drawing her second walk of the game, Reidhead was the first Mountain Lion to reach base and was relieved of base-running duties by
Bryn Horton. Glover followed Reidhead's walk with a single down the left field line before Andersen drew a walk to juice the bases. After a Dixie State pitching change,
Payton Romines brought home Horton from third base on a single that kept the bases loaded.
Sierra Batchelor reached base on a fielder's choice as the Trailblazers forced the out at home on Glover for the second out of the inning.
Leigh Lancaster hit a grounder to third base for the third out as three runners were left on base.
DSU added an insurance run in the sixth inning while their defense retired all three batters in the top of the seventh, handing the Mountain Lions a 9-4 setback.
Five Mountain Lions accounted for five hits, four of which were singles behind Andersen's home run.
Reidhead pitched the first 4.2 innings in the circle, allowing seven earned runs on 12 hits and striking out five batters.
Braelyne Crenshaw finished the game, holding DSU to one hit and one run.
The Mountain Lions will face the loser between No. 1 seed Colorado Mesa University and No. 4 seed Colorado School of Mines on Friday at 3:15. The Mavericks and Orediggers will face each other on Friday at 10:45 a.m.
