Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – After a nearly three-hour delayed start to the day due to snow and cold temperatures, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs softball team dropped the first two games of their series against Chadron State College on Saturday with the Eagles winning the first game 7-2 and the second game 8-2.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final Game One: UCCS 2, CSC 7 | Final Game Two: UCCS 2, CSC 8
Records: UCCS (13-32, 10-26 RMAC), CSC (22-23, 20-18 RMAC)
Location: Mountain Lion Field | Colorado Springs, Colo.
All-Time Series: UCCS falls to 24-23 all-time against the Eagles.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME ONE

• Chadron State wasted little time getting on the scoreboard in the top of the first inning against UCCS' game one starting pitcher Braelyne Crenshaw as the Eagles' leadoff hitter Bailey Steinke roped a single to left field and was brought in to score on an RBI double by Lauren Zimmerman.
• The Mountain Lions mounted a rally of their own in the bottom of the first inning as they loaded the bases with just one out for freshman Molly Sherwood, who lined a single down the left field line to score a pair of runs and give UCCS a 2-1 lead.
• Steinke continued to provide a spark for the Eagles in the top of the fifth inning, leading off the frame with a single before being moved to third base on a sac bunt and a pop fly. With two-outs in the inning, a passed ball from UCCS catcher Cassidy Hubner allowed Steinke to score and even the game at two.
• In the top of the sixth inning, the Eagles broke through with a two-out rally as Brady Laucomer drove a two-RBI double to right center field to break the tie and give CSC a 4-2 advantage.
• The Eagles went on to add three more runs in the top of the seventh inning on a pair of home runs and managed to keep UCCS off the scoreboard in the bottom of the frame to finish off a 7-2 win in the series-opener.

STATS FROM THE GAME | GAME ONE

• The Mountain Lions recorded six hits in the first game of the series, with six different Mountain Lion players recording one apiece.
• UCCS tabbed three doubles in the ballgame, including one each from Morgan Hernandez-Belew, Solana Martinez, and Peyton Reisman.
• Sherwood tallied both of the RBIs for the Mountain Lions, bringing her season total to four.
• Crenshaw's start lasted 5.2 innings as she allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits and three walks while taking her 15^th loss of the season. Crenshaw also notched eight strikeouts in the ballgame.
• Mackenzie Rutkoff and Autumn Kunze entered the game inside the circle in relief of Crenshaw, with Rutkoff allowing three earned runs across two-thirds of an inning pitched and Kunze keeping the Eagles scoreless in her outing of two-thirds of an inning.

HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME TWO

• The second game of Saturday's doubleheader was dominated early by Chadron State's Mackenzi Kroll and Lauren Zimmerman, with Kroll hitting a solo home run in the top of the second inning and Zimmerman launching a solo shot in the top of the third inning to give the Eagles a 2-0 lead.
• Kroll was back at it in the top of the fourth inning as she launched another solo home run that stretched the CSC advantage to 3-0. The home run barrage then continued in the top of the fifth inning with Zimmerman adding a two-run shot, her second of the game, before a solo home run from Ashland Baca pushed the Eagles' lead to 6-0.
•  After the Eagles added two more runs in the top of the seventh inning, UCCS headed into their last at bats trailing 8-0. A two-run home run from Reisman in the bottom of the frame got the Mountain Lions on the board, but the scoring would stop there as Chadron State claimed an 8-2 win in the second game of the doubleheader.

STATS FROM THE GAME | GAME TWO

• UCCS was able to muster just four hits in game two, with Courtnie Heller, Kelsey Bell, Reisman, and Hubner each tallying one.
• Three of the four hits for UCCS were extra-base hits as Heller and Bell each had doubles and Reisman hit her third home run of the season.
• After recording the final two outs in game one, Kunze started game two and proceeded to toss 4.1 innings while allowing five earned runs to take her seventh loss of the season.
• Senior Lexi Rayburn pitched the final 2.2 innings for UCCS, allowing three earned runs on two hits and four walks.
• Kunze and Rayburn combined to strikeout 13 hitters in the game, with Kunze tabbing six strikeouts and Rayburn notching seven.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• The 13 strikeouts in game two of the doubleheader marks a single game season-high for the Mountain Lions and is also the first time the team has recorded double-digit strikeouts in a single game this season.

UP NEXT

• The Mountain Lions will close out their home schedule tomorrow with two more games against Chadron State beginning at 11 a.m. from Mountain Lion Field. After the completion of game two, UCCS will honor their six graduating seniors with a Senior Day celebration on the field.

 
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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.