COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Unforced mistakes by the University of Colorado Colorado Springs Mountain Lions give the Chadron State College Eagles their first win of the season in game one, 9-7, but
Lexi Rayburn dominated with her second complete game of the weekend to give UCCS the series win, 4-1.
Inside The Matchup
Final: Game 1: UCCS 7, CSC 9 | Game 2: UCCS 4, CSC 1
Records: UCCS (5-5, 3-1 RMAC), CSC (1-13, 1-3 RMAC)
Location: Mountain Lion Field | Colorado Springs, Colo.
All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions move to 24-21 all-time vs the Eagles.
How It Happened | Game One
- The Eagles came out hot in the top of the first inning with a solo home run exclamation point by Mackenzie Kroll as they jumped out to a 3-0 lead. UCCS came back to answer with two runs in the bottom of the second inning on a two-run double by Morgan Hernandez-Belew to make the score 3-2.
- Chadron State would get one of those runs back in the top of the third inning on the second Kroll homer of the game. UCCS would answer in a big way in the bottom half of the frame with four big runs. Paige White would score from second on a throwing error by Chadron State. Mia Perez would drive in Solana Martinez on a sacrifice fly to center field, which would tie the game. Hernandez-Belew would continue her big day reaching base on a throwing error that would also bring in two more Mountain Lions and give them a 6-4 lead.
- The lead would be short-lived as Chadron State would get those runs back in the top of the fifth inning with a two-run home run by Sloane Quijas that would tie the game. A fielding error by UCCS would allow the Eagles to take a 7-6 lead by the end of the inning.
- Kroll would put an exclamation point on the win for Chadron State with her third home run of the game, an absolute no-doubt shot to left-center field to give the Eagles a 9-6 lead in the top of the seventh. UCCS would scratch across one more run in the bottom half, but a base-running error would result in their third out and end the game, 9-7.
Stats From The Game | Game One
- Hernandez-Belew drove in three of the Mountain Lions seven runs, which led the team.
- UCCS got outhit by CSC 12-to-9.
- Mackenzie Rutkoff would pitch a strong 6.2 innings in a relief effort, building an impressive 10 strikeout performance, while not giving up any walks.
How It Happened | Game Two
- Chadron State got on the board first in the top of the first inning with an RBI single by Quijas. Rayburn worked her way out of a bases-loaded jam allowing just the one run and she was nails the rest of the game, allowing base runners but not letting any situation get super dangerous. UCCS would answer in the bottom of the first and get the run back on an RBI single by Sawyer Brewster that drove in Briana Mattos and evened up the score 1-1.
- The score stayed 1-1 until the Mountain Lions came up to bat in the bottom of the fourth. Peyton Reisman would hit a double to left field that drove in White and give UCCS the lead, then the next batter, Perez, doubled to drive in Reisman which gave UCCS a 3-1 lead. Perez would later score the fourth run for UCCS on a throwing error by Chadron state in the sixth inning to make the lead 4-1.
Stats From The Game | Game Two
- Reisman had a strong game at the plate leading the team with two hits in three attempts, while also scoring a run and picking up an RBI.
- UCCS outhit the Eagles 9-8 the second game, with hits coming from eight different players
- Rayburn had a dominant performance going the full seven innings, once again and allowing just one run on eight hits with nine strikeouts.
Beyond The Box Score
- Over this weekend, Rayburn pitched 14 innings, allowing just one run on 10 total hits and accrued 13 strikeouts.
- After going 3-1 this weekend, UCCS won their first series of the season.
Up Next
- The Mountain Lions will travel to South Dakota for a double-header against Black Hills State next weekend. Games on Saturday will kick off at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.
SOCIAL
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As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs competes in 16 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.
