COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs softball team received a pair of stellar performances from their pitching staff on Saturday afternoon as they kicked off their four-game conference series against Fort Lewis College with a doubleheader sweep that included a 7-2 victory in game one and a 3-1 win in game two.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: Game 1: UCCS 7, FLC 2 | Game 2: UCCS 3, FLC 1
Records: UCCS (13-9, 8-5 RMAC), FLC (2-16, 1-12 RMAC)
Location: Mountain Lion Field | Colorado Springs, Colo.
All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions improve to 78-45 all-time against the Skyhawks.
HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME ONE
- The Mountain Lions grabbed an early lead with a manufactured run in the bottom of the first inning as Mackenzie Scott led off the frame with a bunt single and advanced all the way to third base on a groundout and a wild pitch before being brought across to score on a sacrifice fly from Gianna Pancost.
- After a Cali Niccum home run brought the Skyhawks back to even at 1-1 in the top of the second inning, the Mountain Lions jumped back ahead in the bottom of the frame with doubles from Tayler McCombs and Halley Redd resulting in a 2-1 lead for UCCS.
- The lead continued to grow in the bottom of the third inning with McCombs at the center of it all once again with the freshman infielder notching a two-out double and coming around to score on a single by Laynee Case.
- With UCCS starting pitcher Kailey Bond settling into the game nicely and holding the Skyhawks scoreless with just a single baserunner across the third and fourth frames, the momentum continued to mount for UCCS as they took advantage of three Fort Lewis errors in the bottom of the fourth to plate a trio of unearned runs and extend their advantage to 6-1.
- Following an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth inning from Edyn Lopez that expanded the UCCS lead to 7-1, Bond maintained her poise inside the circle as she held Fort Lewis to just one unearned run across the remainder of the contest and finished off her second complete game of the season in a 7-2 victory.
STATS FROM THE GAME | GAME ONE
- The Mountain Lions had 12 baserunners in the opening game of the series with eight hits, three walks, and one hit batter.
- McCombs paced the offense as she went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and three runs scored. Pancost also recorded a 2-for-3 line at the dish with a sacrifice fly and a pair of RBIs.
- Scott was on-base three times out of the leadoff spot in the lineup, going 1-for-2 with a walk, a hit-by-pitch, and two runs scored.
- Three different UCCS student-athletes recorded a stolen base, with Kaylee Holland improving to a perfect 6-for-6 in stolen base attempts, Scott moving to 3-for-3 in stolen bags, and Lopez nabbing her first swiped bag of the season.
- Bond (3-1) earned the win with an exceptional performance inside the circle in which she tossed seven complete innings and allowed two runs (one earned) with five strikeouts. A sophomore from Pueblo, Colo., Bond needed 138 pitches to complete the ballgame as she surrendered three hits and three walks while hitting one batter.
HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME TWO
- The second game of Saturday's doubleheader began as a pitcher's duel with UCCS starting pitcher Hannah Hunt and Fort Lewis hurler Hailie Mann keeping the game scoreless through the first four frames.
- Facing off against one of the top ranked offensive lineups in the conference in UCCS, Mann more than held her own to start the ballgame as she kept the Mountain Lions hitless until the fourth inning when Pancost and McCombs recorded back-to-back, two-out singles to start the team's first rally of the contest.
- Although the Mountain Lions' fourth inning opportunity was squandered after Mann got Case to foul out on the first base side, UCCS carried their momentum into their half of the fifth inning as Redd opened the frame with a line drive single through the left side. Following a fly ball to centerfield off the bat of Katelyn Kilgore, Lopez came through with a huge RBI double to left center field that finally broke the scoreless tie and gave UCCS a 1-0 advantage. Two batters later, the Mountain Lions saw their lead expand further with Scott lifting a clutch two-out, two-run home run up and over the left field fence to make it a 3-0 ballgame.
- The Mountain Lion pitching took over the rest of the way as Hunt maintained her scoreless outing through the sixth inning before turning the ball over to Lauren Falk for the save opportunity in the seventh. Falk would issue a leadoff walk to start her appearance inside the circle that came around to score after a pair of wild pitches and an RBI groundout, but the freshman hurler settled down to finish the frame with a fly out and a ground out to secure the doubleheader sweep with a 3-1 win.
STATS FROM THE GAME | GAME TWO
- The Mountain Lions were outhit 7-to-5 in the second game of the doubleheader with five different players recording a single hit.
- Scott's home run in the fifth inning was her fourth of the season, which ties her for the team lead with Pancost and McCombs.
- Hunt (7-2) collected her seventh win of the campaign as she tossed six shutout innings, allowing seven hits and two walks while striking out six hitters.
- Falk secured her third save of the season as she tossed one inning while allowing a walk and one earned run.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Dwight Sanders, who served as the head coach at Fort Lewis for two seasons (2022-23) now holds a perfect 4-0 record against his former team.
- After Saturday's games, the Mountain Lions have three players tied for the team lead with 19 RBIs on the season, including McCombs, Case, and Berkowitz.
- The Mountain Lions' current six-game winning streak is the longest for the program since it won seven straight games during the 2019 season from Feb. 24 through March 1.
UP NEXT
- The Mountain Lions will conclude their four-game set against the Skyhawks tomorrow with another doubleheader set to begin at 11 a.m. from Mountain Lion Field.
SOCIAL
Twitter – @GoMountainLions
Instagram – @gomountainlions
Facebook – GoMountainLions
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.
