This Week's Matchup

• The University of Colorado Colorado Springs softball team will be hosting Dixie State University in a four-game series this weekend at Mountain Lion Field.
• Saturday, March 7 will feature the first double-header of the weekend, with games scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m., respectively.
• Sunday, March 8 will showcase the second double-header of the weekend, with first pitch for each game scheduled for 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., respectively.
• The Mountain Lions played host to Colorado School of Mines in a four-game series Feb. 21-22 to open the conference season.  However, the Mountain Lions served as the "visiting" team since the series was originally scheduled to be played at Mines.

• Live stream and live stats for the games against DSU can be found at the following links:
  • Live Stream: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/uccs/
  • Live Stats: https://gomountainlions.com/sidearmstats/softball/summary

• UCCS won three of their four games against New Mexico Highlands University last weekend to bring their record to 8-11 overall and 4-4 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC). The Mountain Lions scored 26 runs off 36 hits in the four games, including 10 doubles, two triples and two home runs. They finished the weekend batting .319 as a team and held NMHU to a .204 team batting average.
• Alex Cook led the team with seven hits in her 15 at bats to finish the series with a .467 batting average. She also had a team high three doubles and drove in four runs. Brianna Santos went 6-for-16 for her .375 weekend batting average. Her six hits were the second most for UCCS and she recorded the "weekend cycle" with one double, one triple and one of the two UCCS home runs. Santos also recorded a team high seven RBI.
• The UCCS pitching staff had a phenomenal weekend also as they allowed only five runs (three earned) of 19 hits with 14 strikeouts. UCCS finished the series with an impressive 0.84 ERA
• The first game of the series was all UCCS as the Mountain Lions scored one in the second, three in the third off a Cook double and a two-run home run from Solana Martinez, and three more in the fourth off a two-RBI single from Santos and a sacrifice fly from Megan Waidler. NMHU would add one in the fifth to make the score 7-1, but that is as close as the game would get as UCCS added two more in the sixth and seventh off another single from Cook and a triple from Santos. UCCS cruised to a 9-1 win.
• Saturday's second game was more competitive but UCCS again would come out on top thanks to a three-run fifth inning off a two-run blast from Santos and an RBI single from Courtnie Heller. Cami Duffey recorded a three-hit complete game shutout to lift UCCS to a 3-0 win.
• Sunday's first game did not go UCCS' way as they fell to the Cowgirls 1-3. The second game on Sunday was the exact opposite of the first as the Mountain Lions routed NMHU 13-1 in five innings. UCCS put up four in the first inning off an RBI double from Cook and a two-RBI triple from Waidler, who later scored on a passed ball for the fourth run. In the third, UCCS added three more in the third thanks to an RBI single from Bryn Horton and a two-RBI single from Santos.
• UCCS closed things out with a six-run fifth inning off three doubles from Morgan Hernandez-Belew, Waidler and Payton Romines that brought in four runs, paired with a couple of RBI singles from Cook and Shae Bushey.

• UCCS currently sits in the seventh spot of the RMAC with their 4-4 conference record. The Mountain Lions are tied with Colorado School of Mines for the seventh spot.
• The six teams ahead of UCCS are: Colorado Christian University and Colorado Mesa University (both 8-0 in RMAC, tied for first), Metropolitan State University of Denver and Fort Lewis College (both 6-2 in RMAC, tied for third), Regis University (5-2, fifth) and Dixie State (5-3, sixth).

• UCCS has yet to win a game against DSU in seven previous matchups. The Mountain Lions will look to keep the bats hot heading into this series and earn their first wins against the Trailblazers.

• DSU has an overall record of 17-5 to go along with their 5-3 RMAC record. The Trailblazers have a team batting average of .344 thanks to 205 hits, 35 doubles, four triples and seven home runs so far this season. They also have stolen 39 bases in 42 attempts this year. Defensively, DSU has a collective ERA of 2.89 due to allowing 79 runs (59 earned) off 136 hits with 111 strikeouts.
• Hannah Hughbanks leads the team in batting average (.452), runs scored (23), hits (33), doubles (seven), triples (two) and home runs (three). She also has 15 RBI, the third most on the team. Laura Lockard ranks third on the team in batting average (.390) and hits (23, tied), but leads the team in RBI with 21 and ranks second with five doubles. 
• Defensively, Carissa Burgess is the top pitcher for DSU. In 10 starts (11 appearances, 10 complete games) this season, Burgess has allowed 30 runs (18 earned) off 57 hits and racked up 43 strikeouts, the second most on the team. That has earned her a team best 1.96 ERA. 
• Cambrie Hazel leads the group in strikeouts with 49 and has a 3.68 ERA of her own in 40 innings pitched this year.

• UCCS has a team batting average of .309 after batting .319 in their most recent series. The Mountain Lions have 162 hits, 35 doubles and six home runs this season as well.
• Megan Waidler had a solid weekend at the plate for UCCS, going 5-for-11 with two doubles and a triple in the four games. Waidler also drove in the second most runs for UCCS at five. Payton Romines also had a good showing at the plate for UCCS as she finished the series hitting .417 (5-12) with a pair of doubles.
• Solana Martinez hit her second home run of the season over the weekend and drove in two more RBI as well. She now has eight RBI this season, the sixth most on the team.
• Brianna Santos continues to tear it up in her freshman season, as she leads the team in batting average (.493), runs scored (14, tied), hits (34), doubles (nine), triples (five) and RBI (25). Waidler (.395), Alex Cook (.333) and Courtnie Heller (.333) rank second, third and fourth on the team in batting average, respectively.
• Peyton Reisman leads the team with four home runs.
• Cami Duffey (3-4) had a great weekend pitching for UCCS as she finished the series with an incredible 0.64 ERA. In two starts and 11 innings pitched, Duffey allowed only one run (earned) on nine hits and struck out five. Duffey also tabbed her first complete game shutout of the season. She now has a 5.76 ERA this season.
• Braelyne Crenshaw (5-5) also had a great weekend for UCCS as she ended the four-game set with an ERA of 1.08. In her two starts (13 innings pitched), Crenshaw allowed four runs (two earned) off 10 hits and struck out a team high eight. She leads the team with 33 strikeouts and has an ERA of 4.83.

• UCCS ranks third in the RMAC in triples (six) and home runs (17), fourth in slugging percentage (.496), fifth in runs scored (109), hits (162) and doubles (35) and seventh in batting average (.309).
• Brianna Santos leads the RMAC in batting average (.493), slugging percentage (.855) and triples (five). She also ranks second in hits (34), RBI (25) and doubles (nine, tied) and 10^th in on-base percentage (.507).
• Morgan Hernandez-Belew leads the RMAC in on-base percentage at .667. 
• Peyton Reisman ranks fifth in the RMAC in home runs (four, tied). 
• Braelyne Crenshaw ranks fifth in the RMAC in innings pitched (58.0) and sixth in wins (five, tied).

• The forecast for this coming Friday and Saturday, March 7-8, shows high temperatures of 62 and 58 degrees for each day, respectively. Saturday show mostly sunny skies with wind gusts up to nine miles per hour, while Sunday predicts more cloudy conditions and winds up to 11 miles per hour.

• Coach Rothbauer Stubbs earned her 100^th career win over the weekend as UCCS took down NMHU 3-0 in the second game on Saturday. UCCS now has a 101-115 record under coach Rothbauer-Stubbs. However, she has yet to get a win against upcoming opponent DSU. With the offense rolling, coach Rothbauer-Stubbs will look to lead UCCS to their first wins over DSU starting on Saturday.

• Next weekend, UCCS will be on the road in Pueblo, Colo. taking on Colorado State University – Pueblo in a four-game set.
• Saturday, March 14 will feature a double-header with games scheduled for 12 p.m. and 2 p.m., respectively.
• Sunday, March 15 will showcase another double-header with games set to begin at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., respectively.