CHADRON, Neb. – For a second straight day, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs softball team split their doubleheader against Chadron State College with the Eagles earning a 2-0 win in the first game of the day before sophomore
Caydee Farnworth led the Mountain Lions to a 6-0 win in game two on the back of a complete game shutout effort inside the circle.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: Game 1: UCCS 0, CSC 2 | Game 2: UCCS 6, CSC 0
Records: UCCS (11-10, 8-4 RMAC), CSC (5-17, 5-7 RMAC)
Location: CSC Softball Field | Chadron, Neb.
All-Time Series: With the series split, the Mountain Lions move to 26-27 all-time against Chadron State.
HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME ONE
- The Mountain Lions and Eagles engaged in a pitcher's duel to begin the third game of the series as UCCS' Autumn Kunze and Chadron State's Tori Haug matched each other with three scoreless innings to open the game.
- In the bottom of the fourth inning, Chadron State managed to break the scoreless tie with Ashland Baca and Lauren Zimmerman leading off the frame with back-to-back home runs against Kunze to give the Eagles a 2-0 advantage. Kunze would quickly regain her focus, however, as she set down three of the next four hitters to keep the deficit at just two runs heading to the top of the fifth inning.
- In the visitor's half of the fifth inning, the Mountain Lion offense mounted their first real rally of the ballgame as Jennavieve Goldsworth led off the frame with a double to the left center field gap before a single from Izzy Giroux and a hit-by-pitch of Kelsey Bell loaded the bases with nobody out. Facing her first pressure of the ballgame, Haug maintained her composure inside the circle and went on to retire the next three batters in the inning without allowing a run to score to keep the Eagles ahead by a pair.
- With the score still at 2-0 after a clean bottom of the fifth inning by Kunze, UCCS found themselves in a bases-loaded situation for a second straight inning in the top of the sixth with a walk by Gianna Pancost, a Chadron State error, and a single by Izzy Giroux putting runners everywhere with two outs in the frame and Kelsey Bell stepping up to the plate. Bell worked a strong at-bat as she attempted to get the Mountain Lions on the board, but Haug wound up winning the battle, getting Bell to lift a fly ball to center field that was caught for the third out of the frame.
- Still chasing two runs in the top half of the seventh inning, Maddie Unrein put the Mountain Lions in a strong spot with a leadoff single, but after a fielder's choice from Alyssa Gutierrez, Jacqueline Berkowitz lined into a game-ending double play as Chadron State secured the 2-0 shutout victory.
STATS FROM THE GAME | GAME ONE
- The Mountain Lions recorded just five hits in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader but had a pair of student-athletes post multi-hit games as Giroux and Unrein each went 2-for-3 at the plate. The fifth and final hit for UCCS came off the bat of Goldsworth, who tallied a double in the fifth inning.
- UCCS also showed a patient eye at the plate as they drew three walks in the game, with two of them being issued to Pancost and the third going to Berkowitz.
- Kunze (6-3) was saddled with her third loss of the season despite putting forth a strong seven inning effort that saw her allow just two earned runs while striking out five batters.
- Haug put together a strong effort inside the circle for the Eagles, throwing seven shutout innings while striking out seven Mountain Lion hitters.
HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME TWO
- After getting shutout on the offensive end in the first game of the day, UCCS got their bats working early in first inning of game two of the doubleheader as Laynee Case laced a two-RBI double to center field that brought Berkowitz and Pancost around to score for a 2-0 lead.
- The Mountain Lions added another run to their advantage in the top half of the third inning as Berkowitz reached base on a one-out single to first base before being brought all the way around to score on an RBI double from Pancost that made it a 3-0 ballgame.
- In the bottom of the fourth inning, Chadron State put together their most promising scoring opportunity against UCCS starting pitcher Caydee Farnworth, who had begun the game by cruising through three scoreless innings with just one hit allowed. After Farnworth struck out Angelina Quezada for the first out of the inning, Jessie Henchenski and Baca recorded consecutive singles to put a pair of runners on base with just one out, but the Mountain Lion's sophomore pitcher managed to escape the trouble by getting a pair of fly ball outs to end the frame with UCCS still leading by three runs.
- After UCCS added another run to their advantage in the top of the sixth inning with back-to-back doubles from Gutierrez and Berkowitz, Farnworth pitched herself into danger once again with two outs in the bottom half of the frame as she hit two batters in a row and walked a batter to load the bases for the Eagles. Mackenzi Kroll would step to the plate looking to get Chadron State on the scoreboard, but after a long battle at the plate, Farnworth got her to line out to shortstop to end the frame.
- With the momentum shifted back in favor of UCCS after Farnworth escaped the bases-loaded jam in the home half of the sixth, UCCS went on to add a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh inning as Berkowitz and Pancost each tallied RBI singles to push the UCCS lead to 6-0.
- Farnworth had no need for the extra runs, however, as she made quick work of the Eagles in the bottom half of the seventh inning to close out a 6-0 win and a split of the four-game conference series.
STATS FROM THE GAME | GAME TWO
- The top of the order did much of the damage for UCCS in the final game of the series as eight of the team's nine hits came from the top three positions in the lineup.
- Berkowitz and Pancost both finished the game with 3-for-4 batting lines as both players recorded one double and pair of RBIs. Gutierrez also had a strong game out of the leadoff spot, going 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored.
- Case was also a big factor at the plate in game two, posting a 1-for-3 line with a double and two RBIs.
- Farnworth (1-3) was excellent inside the circle for UCCS as she blanked the Eagles for her first collegiate complete game shutout. The native of Carson City, Nev., limited Chadron State to just three hits, one walk, and two hit batsmen across seven innings pitched while striking out a season-high six batters.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Pancost put together a strong series at the plate for UCCS, going 7-for-11 (.636 BA) while starting each of the team's four games. In 13 total plate appearances, she tallied two doubles, two walks and three RBIs while posting a .692 on-base percentage.
- The UCCS pitching staff did an excellent job against the Eagles across the four-game series, with Kunze, Farnworth, and Kailey Bond combining to post a 1.88 ERA with just seven runs allowed in 26 total innings pitched to go along with 20 strikeouts.
UP NEXT
- The Mountain Lions return home next weekend to face off with Colorado Mesa University in a four-game conference series that will run on Saturday and Sunday, March 9-10, with first pitch set for 12 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. on Sunday.
SOCIAL
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As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs competes in 14 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.
