LOS LUNAS, N.M. –  The University of Colorado Colorado Springs softball team earned a split on their second and final day at the South Central Regional Crossover tournament as they earned a comeback, 7-6 win in extra innings against Western New Mexico University to start the day before falling by a score of 13-2 in their second game of the day against No. 13 nationally ranked West Texas A&M University.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: Game 1: UCCS 7, WNMU 6 (8 Innings) | Game 2: UCCS 2, #13 WTAMU 13
Records: UCCS (3-1, 0-0 RMAC), WNMU (2-2, 0-0 LSC), WTAMU (3-0, 0-0 LSC)
Game 1 Location: Los Lunas Sports Complex – Field 1 | Los Lunas, N.M.
Game 2 Location: Los Lunas Sports Complex – Field 3 | Los Lunas, N.M.
All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions improve to 13-21 all-time against Western New Mexico and fall to 0-10 all-time against West Texas A&M.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME ONE – WESTERN NEW MEXICO

• After the Mountain Lions were set down in order to kick off the top of the first inning, Western New Mexico jumped on UCCS starting pitcher Kailey Bond in the bottom half frame to the tune of three runs with the help of a two-RBI triple from Hannah Martinez and an RBI single by Nichole Armijo.
• Bond continued to struggle in the bottom half of the second inning as a pair of walks and a single gave the Mustangs a bases-loaded situation with just one out. Following a walk by Bond that brought in the fourth run of the game for Western New Mexico, UCCS head coach Dwight Sanders turned the ball over to freshman Hannah Hunt, who entered the game and quickly put an end to the rally by getting a strikeout and a pop-up to finish the frame.
• With the team still trailing by four runs after three complete innings, the Mountain Lion offense finally got rolling in the top of the fourth inning as an RBI triple by Jennavieve Goldsworth and an RBI double by Laynee Case cut the UCCS deficit in half at 4-2.
• All the momentum that the Mountain Lions gained in the top half of the frame was squashed in the bottom of the fourth inning when Kaylee Hickman lifted a two-run home run deep over the center field fence to help the Mustangs restore their four-run advantage.
• The four-run deficit for UCCS held strong until the top of the seventh inning when pinch-hitter Edyn Lopez entered the game and worked a walk to spark a two-out rally. Following the free pass to Lopez, Mackenzie Scott and Bailey Olerich recorded back-to-back singles to load the bases and bring the tying run to the plate in Gianna Pancost. Pancost wasted little time upon stepping to the dish as she took the second pitch she saw and lifted a ground-rule double to center field that plated a pair of runs and cut Western New Mexico's lead to 6-4. After a pitching change by the Mustangs, Jacquelynn Siefken made her way to the batter's box with a chance to tie the game and delivered a two-run double to left field that brought the game even at six runs.
• After Hunt breezed through the Mustangs in the bottom of the seventh inning to force extra innings for the second straight game, UCCS freshman Halley Redd came through for the squad in the top of the eighth as she lined a one out, RBI single up the middle that scored the runner that was placed on second base via the international tiebreaker rule. Now holding their first lead of the game, UCCS attempted to cushion the advantage as pinch hitter Katie Steinmetz followed up Redd's clutch hitting with a double down the left field line. A ground out and a fly out from the next two UCCS hitters would squander the opportunity, however, as the Mountain Lions settled for a one-run lead heading to the bottom of the frame.
• The bottom of the eighth inning didn't pass without drama as Hunt issued a leadoff walk that put runners on first and second with nobody out. After a sacrifice bunt by Madison George moved the tying and winning runs into scoring position with one out, Hunt raised her game and got the second out with a shallow fly ball to right field before getting a three-pitch strikeout to finish the game and earn a 7-6 extra inning win.

STATS FROM GAME ONE – WESTERN NEW MEXICO

• After a slow start offensively, UCCS finished the game with 14 hits, including multi-hit performances from Pancost (3-for-4), Siefken (2-for-3), and Scott (2-for-5).
• Pancost and Siefken paced the team with a pair of RBIs apiece, while Goldsworth, Case, and Redd each tallied one.
• The Mountain Lions racked up five doubles in the game with one apiece from Case, Steinmetz, Pancost, Kilgore, and Siefken. Goldsworth also added another extra-base hit with her second triple of the season.
• Bond had an early exit as the starting pitcher for the Mountain Lions as she surrendered four earned runs across 1.1 innings pitched with four hits and five walks allowed.
• Hunt (2-0) pitched the remainder of the game and earned her second win of the season after holding the Mustangs to just two earned runs across 6.2 innings pitched. The freshman Albuquerque, N.M., only allowed a total of three baserunners during her outing while striking out five hitters.

HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME TWO – #13 WEST TEXAS A&M

• The No. 13 nationally ranked Lady Buffs had their offense firing on all cylinders from the start as six of their first seven batters reached base against UCCS starting pitcher Lauren Falk. With five runs crossing the plate against Falk in the early going, the Mountain Lions made a quick pitching change to freshman Haisley Leskinen, who promptly put out the fire with a pair of strikeouts to end the inning.
• After UCCS put together a small threat in the bottom half of the first frame with a pair of base hits, West Texas A&M took advantage of some shaky defense on the part of the Mountain Lions in the top of the second inning with a pair of errors and a pair of hits leading to three unearned runs and an 8-0 lead for the Lady Buffs.
• West Texas A&M continued to swing the bats well for the remainder of the game as they added one run in their half of the third and four more in the fifth to take a 13-0 lead. UCCS managed to get on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth frame on a two-run double by Pancost, but the Lady Buffs went on to record the final out and secure the run-rule victory.

STATS FROM GAME TWO – #13 WEST TEXAS A&M

• The Mountain Lions had their bats silenced by WTAMU in the final game of the tournament as they managed just seven hits in the game with six singles and a double.
• Scott and Steinmetz each recorded two-hit games, while Pancost recorded the only extra-base hit of the ball game and drove in both of the Mountain Lions' runs.
• Falk (0-1) lasted just one-third of an inning in her first collegiate start, surrendering four hits and a pair of walks for five earned runs while taking her first loss of the season. Leskinen pitched the final 4.2 innings of the game for the Mountain Lions and went on to allow eight runs (five earned) with eight hits allowed and four strikeouts.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• The Mountain Lions batted over .400 in their opening weekend of play, recording 50 hits in 123 at-bats with 11 doubles, five triples, and three home runs.
• Steinmetz out together a strong showing in her debut with the team, going 5-for-8 with two doubles, a home run, and four RBIs in three games played over the weekend.

UP NEXT

• The Mountain Lions will travel to Canyon, Texas to compete at the West Texas A&M Invitational on Feb. 7-8. The first day of action on Friday, Feb. 7 will pit UCCS against Eastern New Mexico University at 10:15 a.m. (MT) and Texas A&M University Kingsville at 12:30 p.m. (MT).

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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.   Read Full Article