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Mattos
Isaiah J. Downing

PREVIEW | Softball Travels to MSU Denver for Four-Game Series With Adjusted Game Times

4/5/2022 1:00:00 PM

By: Tyler Tvelia, Assistant Sports Information Director
THIS WEEK'S MATCHUP
  • The University of Colorado Colorado Springs softball team will travel north to Denver, Colo., to match up with Metropolitan State University Denver for an important four-game conference series on Saturday, April 9 and Sunday, April 10.
  • Saturday's doubleheader game times have been shifted into the afternoon and evening with the first game set to get underway at 3 p.m. from the Assembly Athletic Complex. On Sunday, the doubleheader start time has been moved back one hour with the first game now getting started at 12 p.m.  
GAME COVERAGE LAST TIME OUT
  • The Mountain Lions played a four-game series on the road against Fort Lewis College last weekend and split the series as the Skyhawks won both games on Saturday and UCCS took two games on Sunday.
  • The series opener on Saturday was a pitcher's duel throughout as neither offense managed to crack the scoreboard over the first four innings of the game. With the score tied at one in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Skyhawks brought home the go ahead runs on a dropped fly ball in right field by the Mountain Lions and held UCCS scoreless in the seventh to pick up a 3-1 victory.
  • Game two of Saturday's doubleheader followed a similar script to that of the first game of the day, with both teams being held off the scoreboard for the opening four innings of play. The Skyhawks once again broke out in their half of the fifth inning to score three times before adding another run in the sixth inning. The 4-0 lead was plenty for Fort Lewis starting pitcher Hailie Mann, who went the distance and held UCCS scoreless to help the Skyhawks take game two of the series.
  • The Mountain Lions did well to turn the page as they moved into Sunday, jumping on the Skyhawks for nine runs through the first four innings of the third game of the series. Redshirt junior Braelyne Crenshaw and freshman Mackenzie Rutkoff held Fort Lewis scoreless through five innings as the Mountain Lions earned a 9-0 run-rule win.
  • After Fort Lewis leaped ahead to a second inning 5-1 lead in the series finale, the Mountain Lions battled back to score four runs in their half of the fourth to even the game at five. The Skyhawks promptly regained their lead with single runs in bottom of the fourth and fifth innings, but UCCS would score twice in the sixth inning and once in the seventh to come away with an 8-7 victory and a series split with Fort Lewis.
  • Freshman Paige White had an impressive series at the plate, going 6-for-11 (.545) with seven total bases and three runs scored while starting all four games.
  • Crenshaw was excellent on the rubber throughout the weekend as she started two games and allowed just one earned run in ten innings pitched for a 0.70 ERA.
RMAC RECORD/STANDINGS
  • Colorado Mesa University and Colorado Christian University continue to hold a tight grip on the top two spots in the conference standings as both teams went 4-0 last weekend to improve to 21-1 in RMAC play.
  • UCCS moves to 16-8 in the conference after splitting a four-game series with Fort Lewis and now sits in third place in the standings. The Mountain Lions are followed closely by this week's opponent, MSU Denver, with a 14-8 record in the RMAC after sweeping Chadron State College last weekend.
  • Regis drops to fifth place at 15-9 in conference play after getting swept at the hands of CCU, while Colorado School of Mines holds the sixth spot in the standings with a 13-9 conference record.
  • Rounding out the rest of the conference standings are Colorado State University Pueblo (10-14), Black Hills State (8-16), Fort Lewis (8-16), New Mexico Highlands University (5-19), Chadron State College (5-19), and Adams State (4-20).
THE SERIES
  • The Mountain Lions are 20-31 all-time against the Roadrunners and hold a 5-7 record in their last 12 games against MSU Denver dating back to 2018.  
SCOUTING MSU DENVER
  • The Roadrunners are currently riding a six-game winning streak that has pushed their overall record to 26-13 with a 14-8 record in the conference.
  • MSU Denver has had a productive season at the dish, averaging 5.71 runs per game while posting a team batting average of .300.
  • Sophomore Shelby Robb leads all qualified Roadrunners with a .369 batting average, 12 doubles and 27 RBIs while starting each of the team's 39 games in the outfield. Robb has also been active on the base paths with a team-leading 11 stolen bases in 14 attempts.
  • Providing the most power to the MSU Denver lineup has been freshman Katie Maney, who has eight home runs and 25 RBIs in her debut season while hitting at a .304 clip.
  • The MSU Denver pitching staff has also excelled to this point in the season, registering a team ERA of 3.63 across 256.2 total innings pitched. The Roadrunner's staff is led by a pair of underclassmen in freshman Audrey Burt and sophomore Sarah Norton.
  • Burt has tossed 81.1 innings pitched this season and leads the team with a 3.27 ERA and nine wins. The Highlands Ranch, Colo., native has also been impressive on the offensive end, recording a .425 batting average with five home runs and 14 RBIs in a limited sample size of 50 plate appearances.
  • Norton leads the team with 89.1 innings pitched and ranks just behind Burt with a solid 3.29 ERA and 75 strikeouts on the season.
HOT TAKES
  • The UCCS offense continues to carry the team as they rank fourth in the RMAC with an average of 5.69 runs scored per game and a team batting average at .321.
  • The Mountain Lions sit 12th in the nation in doubles per game (1.94) and home runs per game (1.22) while ranking 20th with a team slugging percentage of .529.
  • Reigning RMAC Player of the Week Sawyer Brewster continues to be a catalyst for the UCCS offense as she leads the team in most major offensive categories. The redshirt junior is currently tied for the RMAC-lead with 11 home runs while also sporting the third highest slugging percentage (.845) and the fourth-best batting average (.417) in the conference.
  • Shortstop Solana Martinez has also been excellent in the batter's box this season, posting the seventh-highest batting average in the conference at .406 while adding nine doubles, two triples and four home runs.
  • Freshman catcher Paige White is having a strong first season in the black and gold, making 31 starts while recording a .347 batting average and the second-most RBIs on the team with 27.
  • Redshirt junior Peyton Reisman had her 11-game hitting streak snapped during the Fort Lewis series, but still boasts a .287 batting average and ranks third on the team with seven home runs and 26 RBIs.
  • On the bases, sophomore Mia Perez and freshman Brianna Jennings are the team leaders with seven stolen bases, while redshirt junior Bryn Horton has been successful on each of her five stolen base attempts.
  • Inside the circle, the Mountain Lions have pitched to a team ERA of 4.47 with 177 strikeouts in 209.2 innings pitched. Redshirt junior Braelyne Crenshaw is the team leader with 89.1 innings pitched and has compiled a 4.15 ERA for the season. Crenshaw ranks third in the conference with her nine complete games and 84 strikeouts.
  • Crenshaw currently sits sixth in program history for strikeouts with 246 and needs just seven more to pass Stephanie Chtikowski (252) for fifth all-time.
  • Freshman Mackenzie Rutkoff has done an excellent job limiting opponent offenses in limited work during her debut season. The first-year pitcher has appeared in 12 games this season and holds a team leading 2.96 ERA across 26 innings of work while keeping opposing hitters to a .262 batting average and issuing just five walks.  
UCCS UNDER HEAD COACH RICKI ROTHBAUER-STUBBS
  • Ricki Rothbauer-Stubbs, who picked up her 200th career Division II victory last season with a 9-7 win over Chadron State on March 8, enters her seventh season at the helm of the UCCS Softball program during the 2022 season. In her first six seasons as the head coach of the Mountain Lions, Rothbauer-Stubbs has collected 120 wins and made three appearances in the RMAC Tournament.
  • During the 2021 season, Rothbauer-Stubbs coached two players to the All-RMAC team with Brianna Santos receiving First Team honors and Solana Martinez being named as an Honorable Mention. She also led her team to great academic success, as Santos was named to the RMAC All-Academic First Team and 13 more softball student-athletes were named to the Honor Roll.
WEATHER
  • The weather in Denver, Colo. for the first day of the series on Saturday is expected to have temperatures in the upper-70s with winds at 10-to-15 miles per hour. The forecast calls for slightly cooler temperatures on Sunday with a high of 67 degrees and potential for winds to reach 10-to-20 miles per hour.
MILITARY APPRECIATION DAY
  • MSU Denver will be holding a small fireworks celebration after the conclusion of Saturday's games in honor of Military Appreciation Day.
UPCOMING GAMES
  • UCCS returns home to play a four-game set with the RMAC leading Colorado Mesa University Mavericks on April 15-16. The series will get underway with a doubleheader on Friday, April 15 beginning at 12 p.m.
SOCIAL 
Twitter - @GoMountainLions 
Instagram - @gomountainlions  
Facebook – Go Mountain Lions 
  
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.  
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