COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs softball team split Sunday's doubleheader at Colorado School of Mines, earning a nail-biting 7-6 win in the first game of the day before dropping the second game by a score of 9-3.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: Game 1: UCCS 7, CSM 6 | Game 2: UCCS 3, CSM 9
Records: UCCS (8-5, 2-2 RMAC), CSM (6-8, 2-2 RMAC)
Location: Joe Coors, Jr. Softball Field | Golden, Colo.
All-Time Series: UCCS moves to 74-67-1 all-time against the Orediggers.
HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME ONE
- The Mountain Lions plated a pair of two-out runs in the top of the first inning as a walk by Mackenzie Scott and a single by Gianna Pancost put runners on first and third. With Genesis Jaramillo at the plate, UCCS sent Pancost on a stolen base attempt to second base and the throw down to the bag was dropped by the Mines shortstop, allowing Scott to come home for the first run of the game. After Jaramillo worked a walk, Laynee Case sent a single through the right side of the infield that brought Pancost home for a second run in the frame.
- The lead was short-lived for UCCS as starting pitcher Charlee Hoover surrendered a two-run home run to Mines' outfielder Kendall Aragon that knotted the game at two runs apiece. The Mountain Lions quickly went back ahead in the top of the second frame as a single and a stolen base by Alyssa Gutierrez set up an RBI single by Jacqueline Berkowitz, but the Orediggers used the long ball once again in the home half of the frame with a solo home run off the bat of Katie Bauer bringing the game back to even.
- The back-and-forth nature of the game continued in the third frame as UCCS regained a 4-3 advantage in the top of the inning on a double steal by Case and Pancost before a sacrifice fly by Miquela Tammaro in the bottom half tied the game back up at four.
- UCCS put together some more two-out magic in the top of the fourth inning as Berkowitz hit a double to left field to spark the rally and came around to score on an RBI single by Mackenzie Scott that put the Mountain Lions ahead 5-4. Senior Abby Hayes took the rubber for UCCS in relief of Hoover to start the bottom of the fourth inning and quickly coughed up the lead as the second batter she faced launched a solo home run over the left field fence to tie the game once again.
- Despite seeing their advantage dissipate for the fourth straight inning, the UCCS offense continued to do their part in the top of the fifth inning as RBI singles by Alyssa Gutierrez and Jennavieve Goldsworth helped the Mountain Lions grab a 7-5 lead. After four shaky innings inside the circle to begin the game, the Mountain Lion pitching settled down for the final three frames of the ballgame as Hayes tossed a scoreless fifth inning before turning the ball over to Autumn Kunze for the final two innings. Kunze kept Mines off the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth inning but made things interesting in the final frame as she allowed back-to-back two-out doubles that cut UCCS' lead to 7-6 before getting Bauer to fly out to center field for the final out of the contest.
STATS FROM THE GAME | GAME ONE
- The Mountain Lions recorded 12 hits in the third game of the series with eight of their nine starters notching at least one hit.
- Four UCCS student-athletes posted two-hit performances, including Berkowitz, Scott, Case, and Gutierrez.
- UCCS continued to create havoc on the basepaths as they swiped five stolen bases in the game, including three by Pancost and one apiece from Case and Gutierrez.
- Hoover drew the start inside the circle for the Mountain Lions and surrendered four earned runs on five hits and two walks across three innings pitched.
- Hayes (1-1) picked up her first win of the season with a solid relief effort during the middle innings as she allowed just one earned run in two innings pitched.
- Kunze secured the second save of her collegiate career as she held the Orediggers to just one earned run across the final two innings of the game.
HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME TWO
- After earning the save in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader, Kunze drew the start inside the circle for the Mountain Lions in game two and matched Mines' starting pitcher Taylor Wayne with a pair of scoreless frames to open the game.
- The Mountain Lions broke the scoreless tie in the top of the third inning as Katie Steinmetz led off the frame with a double to left field and moved to third on a single by Mackenzie Johnson before being brought across to score on a sacrifice fly by Goldsworth. Following Goldsworth's RBI, the Orediggers' gifted the Mountain Lions two more runs in the inning with some shaky defense as they committed a pair of costly errors that put UCCS ahead 3-0.
- In the bottom half of the third frame, UCCS returned the favor with a defensive error of their own that led to a pair of unearned runs against Kunze and cut the Mountain Lions' lead to 3-2.
- After a scoreless inning by the Mountain Lions in the top of the fourth, the Orediggers utilized their flex position in a clever way as head coach Tobin Echo-Hawk brought Wayne into the lineup to hit for herself with one out in the home half of the frame and she helped out her own cause with a game-tying solo home run over the left field fence.
- UCCS fell victim to the Orediggers power once again in the bottom half of the fifth inning as relief pitcher Janessa Giugliano surrendered a two-run home run over the left field fence off the bat of Emily Rogers that gave Mines their first lead of the game at 5-3.
- The Orediggers broke the game open in their half of the sixth inning as they used three hits, a walk, and pair of errors to plate four runs in the frame, taking a 9-3 lead. The Mountain Lions continued to struggle offensively against Wayne in the top of the seventh, going down in order against the Orediggers' redshirt senior pitcher to close out the 9-3 defeat.
STATS FROM THE GAME | GAME TWO
- The Mountain Lions were able to manage just four hits against Wayne in the final game of the series, while the Orediggers had 12 hits.
- Steinmetz had the lone extra base hit of the game for UCCS as she went 1-for-3 with a double in her first start of the season.
- Kunze pitched 3.2 innings in her second start of the weekend, allowing three runs (one earned) on seven hits and no walks with two strikeouts.
- Giugliano tossed the final 2.1 innings of the game and surrendered six runs (three earned) on five hits and one walk.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Kunze was spectacular inside the circle for the Mountain Lions throughout the weekend, posting a 1.11 ERA with just two earned runs allowed across 12.2 innings pitched with seven strikeouts.
UP NEXT
- The Mountain Lions will host their first conference series of the season next weekend when they welcome No. 20 nationally ranked Colorado Christian University inside Mountain Lion Field for a four-game set on Feb. 27-28.
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.
