DURANGO, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs softball team dropped both ends of Friday's doubleheader against Fort Lewis College as the Skyhawks completed a four-game sweep of the Mountain Lions at FLC Aspen Field.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final Game One: UCCS 0, FLC 6 | Final Game Two: UCCS 4, FLC 6
Records: UCCS (11-28, 8-22 RMAC), FLC (19-18, 17-13 RMAC)
Location: FLC Aspen Field | Durango, Colo.
All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions fall to 44-45 all-time against Fort Lewis.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME ONE

• For the third consecutive game in the series, the Skyhawks found themselves with a first inning lead as their first two hitters singled against UCCS starting pitcher Braelyne Crenshaw and both came around to score to give Fort Lewis a 2-0 advantage.
• The Skyhawks put together another threat in the home half of the third inning as they loaded the bases with three straight singles to open the frame, but Crenshaw managed to limit the damage to just one run after getting a pair of groundouts and a fly out to end the inning.
• A long ball off the bat of FLC's Caydee Farnworth in the bottom of the fourth inning would extend the Skyhawk lead to 4-0 before they went on to add two more runs in the bottom of the fifth to stretch the advantage to six runs.
• The six runs proved to be more than enough support for FLC starting pitcher Amiee Shanks, who held the Mountain Lions scoreless across seven complete innings to help the Skyhawks claim the victory in game three of the series.

STATS FROM THE GAME | GAME ONE

• The Mountain Lions managed just three hits in the game against Shanks, with Maddie Unrein, Lexi Wagner, and Kelsey Bell recording one hit apiece.
• Inside the circle, Crenshaw (2-13) suffered her 13^th loss of the season as she allowed six runs (five earned) across 4.2 innings pitched.
• Sophomore Mackenzie Rutkoff tossed 1.1 scoreless innings in relief of Crenshaw, allowing three hits and one walk across her outing.
• Fort Lewis tallied a total of 12 hits in the ballgame with four different players recording multi-hit games, including a 3-for-4 performance from leadoff hitter Alyssa Gutierrez.

HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME TWO

• After a scoreless first inning, the Mountain Lions jumped out to their first lead of the series in the top half of the second inning as Cassidy Hubner launched a two-out, two-run home run over the center field fence.
• Now leading by a score of 2-0, UCCS gifted one run back to the Skyhawks in the bottom of the second with a two-out error at second base allowing an unearned run to cross the plate and cut the advantage to 2-1.
• The Skyhawks returned the favor in the top of the third inning as pitcher Labraida Tenorio issued a walk to Wagner before Courtnie Heller hit a ball that was misplayed by the center fielder, allowing Wagner to come all the way around to score and push the UCCS lead back to two runs.
• Fort Lewis continued to battle in the bottom of the third inning, however, as Kayla Stone continued her huge series with a two-RBI double that evened the game at three runs apiece.
• After a scoreless fourth inning, Stone struck again in the bottom of the fifth inning, lacing a single through the left side to bring in another run and give the Skyhawks a 4-3 lead.
• Fort Lewis would add two more insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, and despite the Mountain Lions scoring once in the top of the seventh on an RBI single by Bell, the Skyhawks secured a 6-4 win to close out the four-game series sweep.

STATS FROM THE GAME | GAME TWO

• The Mountain Lions tallied six hits in the final game of the series with two of them coming off the bat of Reisman.
• Hubner drove in two of the four runs for the Mountain Lions as she put together a 1-for-3 line including her second home run of the season.
• Freshman Autumn Kunze (4-5) started inside the circle for UCCS and took her fifth loss of the season after allowing four runs (three earned) across 4.2 innings pitched with four strikeouts.
• Senior lexi Rayburn entered the game as a relief pitcher in the fifth inning and allowed two earned runs in 1.1 innings pitched.
• After earning the complete game shutout win in the first game of Friday's doubleheader, Shanks came back to throw three innings of relief in game two, allowing just one run and earning her 13^th win of the season.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Infielder Kayla Stone was a nearly unstoppable force throughout the series, going 5-for-12 with four doubles and ten RBIs across four games played.

UP NEXT

• The Mountain Lions return to Colorado Springs for the first of two consecutive home series as they prepare to host Colorado State University Pueblo for a four-game set beginning on Friday, April 14.

 
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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.  
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