COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs softball team earned their first series win of the season over University of Nebraska-Kearney as they split Monday's doubleheader against the Lopers with a 12-8 win in the first game and a 12-7 setback in game two.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final Game One: UCCS 12, UNK 8 | Final Game Two: UCCS 7, UNK 12
Records: UCCS (3-6, 0-0 RMAC), UNK (4-3, 0-0 MIAA)
Location: Mountain Lion Field | Colorado Springs, Colo.
All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions move to 28-53 all-time against the Lopers and finish the season series with a 3-2 advantage.
HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME ONE
- Nebraska-Kearney started the third game of the series on a strong note as Carly Dembowski lifted a first inning, three-run home run that gave the Lopers a 3-0 lead before UCCS stepped to the plate.
- The Mountain Lions would take advantage of a lack of control from UNK starting pitcher Madison Rosenthal in the bottom half of the inning as five free-passes and a single from Cassidy Hubner helped UCCS even the game at three runs apiece.
- Senior Lexi Rayburn got the start inside the circle, and after a rocky first inning, she settled in nicely to keep the Lopers scoreless over the next three innings. Meanwhile, the UCCS offense capitalized on Rayburn's strong pitching to add three runs on five hits in the bottom of the second inning and claim a 6-3 advantage.
- With the score still at 6-3 heading into the bottom of the fourth inning, the Mountain Lions added another run to their tally as back-to-back two out doubles from Lexi Wagner and Cassidy Hubner pushed the lead to 7-3.
- UNK would strike back in the top of the fifth inning against Rayburn, scoring three two-out runs on an RBI double from Jaycee Schutte and a two-RBI single by Kylee Bruning to cut the UCCS lead to 7-6.
- UCCS broke the game open in the bottom of the fifth inning as Morgan Hernandez-Belew drove a three-run home run over the center field fence that was followed by a two-run shot from Courtnie Heller just two batters later, making it a 12-6 game.
- A two-run home run in the top of the sixth inning from Dembowski would bring the Lopers closer at 12-8, but that would be all that freshman reliever Autumn Kunze would allow in her outing as UCCS earned the game one victory.
STATS FROM THE GAME | GAME ONE
- The Mountain Lions scored a season-high 12 runs while notching 11 hits and five extra-base hits.
- Hubner led UCCS with three hits in three trips to the plate to go along with a double and three RBIs.
- Hernandez-Belew matched Hubner with three RBIs of her own as she went 2-for-3 with a home run and two runs scored.
- Wagner also notched a multi-hit game, going 2-for3 with a double and an RBI.
- Rayburn (1-1) earned her first win of the season as she tossed 4.2 innings while allowing six earned runs. Kunze entered the game in the fifth inning with just a one run lead and held the Lopers to just two earned runs across 2.1 innings pitched to secure her first collegiate save.
- Dembowski provided much of the offense for the Lopers in game one, going 2-for-3 with a pair of home runs and five RBIs.
HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME TWO
- In the second game of the day, it was the Mountain Lions that got out to a quick lead in the first inning with White launching a two-run home run to center field to give UCCS a 2-0 lead after one inning of play.
- UCCS starting pitcher Braelyne Crenshaw cruised through the Loper lineup to begin the game as she held them scoreless with just one base hit allowed over the first three innings, but would run into trouble to begin the top of the fourth. The first three batters in the fourth frame would reach against Crenshaw, and after getting Leah Jurgens to fly out to left field for the first out of the inning, Katie Gosker cleared the bases with a grand slam to right field that put the Lopers ahead 4-2.
- The Mountain Lions were quick to respond in the bottom half of the inning as Maddie Unrein brought her team within a run with a solo home run before Mia Perez lined an RBI single up the middle to bring the game even at four runs each.
- The back-and-forth continued in the fifth inning as Sydney Thomason hit a two-run home run in the Loper's half of the inning to help UNK regain the lead, 6-4, but the Mountain Lions again responded with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game at six.
- In the top of the sixth inning, the Lopers regained their lead once again as Avery Wood drove a two-run home run to left field making it an 8-6 game. UCCS would get one run back in the bottom of the sixth inning on a line drive solo home run to center field by Perez, but UNK went on to score four times in their half of the seventh to salvage one win in the series by a score of 12-7.
STATS FROM THE GAME | GAME TWO
- The Mountain Lions outhit the Lopers 11-9 in the final game of the series as they notched five extra-base hits for a second consecutive game.
- White and Molly Sherwood tied for the team lead with three hits each. White's 3-for-3 game included a double, a home run, and two RBIs, while Sherwood notched three singles with an RBI.
- Perez had a 2-for-4 game and hit her first home run of the season while adding a pair of RBIs.
- After a strong start to the game inside the circle, Crenshaw (1-3) struggled down the stretch to take her third loss of the season with nine runs (eight earned) allowed in 6.0 innings.
- Kunze pitched the final inning of the game and allowed three runs (one earned) with one strikeout.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Sherwood notched the first three hits of her collegiate career in game two of Monday's doubleheader.
- After the first nine games of the season, White and Wagner are tied for the team lead with four home runs each. Wagner also leads the team with 11 RBIs, while Heller and White have also been strong run-producers with ten and eight RBIs, respectively.
UP NEXT
- The Mountain Lions will start conference play next weekend with a four-game series at New Mexico Highlands. First pitch for the series opening game on Saturday, Feb. 18, is set for 12 p.m. from Las Vegas, N.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.
