GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs softball team started the day with a tight 2-1 victory over Regis University to advance in the RMAC Tournament, but their title hopes came to end in the nightcap as they were eliminated from tournament play in a 3-1 defeat at the hands of No. 1 seed Colorado Mesa University.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: Game 1: UCCS 2, RU 1 | Game 2: UCCS 1, CMU 3
Records: UCCS (27-24, 24-16 RMAC), RU (35-22, 28-12 RMAC), CMU (45-8, 35-3 RMAC)
Location: CMU Softball Field | Grand Junction, Colo.
All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions improve to 46-89 all-time against the Rangers but fall to 37-97 in the all-time series against the Mavericks.
HOW IT HAPPENED VS REGIS
- The Mountain Lions started the scoring in their half of the second inning against Regis starting pitcher and RMAC Freshman of the Year Kylie Harpman with redshirt junior Peyton Reisman reaching base on a hit by pitch and coming around to score from first base on an RBI double to the left field corner by sophomore Maddie Unrein.
- An infield single by Bryn Horton and a walk from Morgan Hernandez-Belew kept the second inning alive for Mia Perez, who cashed in another run with an RBI fielder's choice to third base to give UCCS a 2-0 advantage.
- With two Mountain Lion runners on base and two outs in the top of the third inning, Unrein hit a hard liner past the right fielder that brought home a pair of UCCS runs as Unrein ended up on third base. Upon appeal at home plate after the play was over, however, it was ruled that the lead runner Peyton Reisman did not touch home plate, resulting in the third out of the inning and the removal of the two runs from the scoreboard, keeping it at a 2-0 ballgame.
- The Rangers cut their deficit in half in the bottom of the fourth inning as two of the first three batters in the frame reached base via walk before catcher Carryn Leto drove an RBI double to the left center field gap to make it a 2-1 ballgame. Regis threatened to make it a much larger inning as another walk loaded the bases with two outs, but UCCS pitcher Lexi Rayburn managed to strikeout Miia Campos looking to escape the inning with the lead still intact.
- After a pair of fielding errors and a walk loaded the bases once again for the Rangers in the bottom of the fifth inning, Rayburn continued to stay cool under the pressure as she managed to get Leto to swing at a high pitch for strike three to keep the UCCS lead at 2-1.
- Looking to finish off the complete game win in the bottom of the seventh inning, Rayburn dealt a walk to leadoff hitter Allisha Martinez, prompting UCCS head coach to bring in junior Gabrielle Cronin for the save opportunity. Upon entering the game, Cronin unleashed a wild pitch that moved Martinez to second base before retiring Katherine Raper on a groundout to shortstop that moved the tying run to third base with one out.
- After the next batter walked to put runners on the corners with just one out, Cronin induced a ground ball on the infield that was converted for a game-ending 6-4-3 double play as the Mountain Lions staved off elimination with a tight 2-1 victory.
STATS FROM THE GAME VS REGIS
- The Mountain Lions tallied eight hits against Regis pitching, with Martinez, Brewster, and Unrein each having two-hit games.
- Unrein drove in the first run of the ballgame for UCCS and had two more RBIs taken off the board due to the baserunning blunder in the third inning. Perez had the Mountain Lion's only other RBI in the game on her fielder's choice groundout in the second inning.
- Rayburn was stellar inside the circle as she completed six innings of one-run ball to earn her tenth win of the season. The junior pitcher struck out five hitters while allowing two hits and seven walks.
- Cronin entered the game with a tight lead in the seventh inning and kept the Rangers off the scoreboard to earn her second save of the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED VS COLORADO MESA
- The Mountain Lions got another tough draw on Friday evening with the recently announced RMAC Pitcher of the Year Paige Adair getting the start inside the circle for the Mavericks, but freshman Paige White was unfazed as she unleashed a solo home run to left field to lead off the second inning and put UCCS on top 1-0.
- Redshirt junior Braelyne Crenshaw got the start on the rubber for UCCS and was spectacular through the opening four innings of the game, holding the Mavericks off the scoreboard while allowing just three hits to begin the game.
- In the top of the fifth inning, CMU outfielder Brandi Haller got to Crenshaw for a leadoff double, although the Mountain Lion pitcher managed to record the next two outs while Haller advanced only to third base. With infielder Ashley Bradford at the plate looking to tie the game with a two-out hit, Crenshaw threw a high pitch that snuck past catcher Paige White to bring home the game tying run.
- With the contest still tied at one in the top of the seventh inning, Colorado Mesa managed to get their first two hitters in the inning on base as Nicole Christensen led off with a single before pinch-hitter Ava Fugate reached on an error. After a sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third base, outfielder Lauren Wedman hit a ball into the left center field gap for a double that brought home both runners and gave the Mavericks their first lead of the game at 3-1.
- Now trailing by two runs, the Mountain Lions were unable to muster any offense in the bottom of the seventh inning as the Mavericks claimed a 3-1 victory to advance in the tournament.
STATS FROM THE GAME VS COLORADO MESA
- UCCS tallied a total of six hits in the game and were led by Paige White, who went 2-for-3 with the only RBI in the game on her second inning home run.
- Crenshaw did an excellent job limiting the Mavericks high powered offense to just three runs (two earned) while needing just 88 pitches to fire seven complete innings.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The Mountain Lion's 27 wins this season are the most for the program in a single season since they recorded 28 wins during the 2019 campaign.
SOCIAL
Twitter – @GoMountainLions
Instagram – @gomountainlions
Facebook – GoMountainLions
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.
