GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Behind dominant performances from senior pitchers
Autumn Kunze and
Kailey Bond, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs softball team earned its first wins over Colorado Mesa University since 2021 on Saturday as Kunze opened the day with a complete game shutout in a 1-0 victory and Bond followed with six strong innings in a 4-1 win to complete the doubleheader sweep of the Mavericks.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: Game 1: UCCS 1, CMU 0 | Game 2: UCCS 4, CMU 1
Records: UCCS (19-12, 13-9 RMAC), CMU (17-13, 16-6 RMAC)
Location: CMU Softball Field | Grand Junction, Colo.
All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions improve to 39-110 all-time against the Mavericks.
HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME ONE
- Saturday's series opener between UCCS and Colorado Mesa featured two standout starting pitchers with sub-3.00 ERAs entering the game in Autumn Kunze for the Mountain Lions and Sophia Tassinari for the Mavericks. UCCS threatened early in the top of the first inning against Tassinari as two of the first three batters reached base with singles. However, the rally was cut short when the Mavericks' hurler managed to induce a double play ball off the bat of cleanup hitter Addy Baxter to end the inning.
- After retiring the side in order in each of the first two innings, Kunze faced her first challenge in the bottom of the third as she issued a leadoff walk and then allowed a single, putting two runners on with no outs. The next two batters lined out, and Ava Stephens reached on a fielder's choice to load the bases before Kunze was able to escape the jam by getting Tegan Medina to foul out behind the plate, ending the threat.
- The scoreless duel carried through the fourth and fifth innings, with Kunze and Tassinari continuing to trade zeroes. UCCS finally broke through in the top of the sixth inning as Addy Baxter sparked the rally with a one-out single to right center field. With the game in the balance, head coach Dwight Sanders inserted freshman Genesis Jaramillo as a pinch runner at first base for Baxter and the move quickly paid off as Jaramillo advanced into scoring position by tagging up from first on a fly ball to right field off the bat of Tayler McCombs. With two outs in the frame, Mackenzie Scott capitalized on Jaramillo's aggressive baserunning, driving an RBI single down the right field line to bring the first-year pinch runner home and give the Mountain Lions a 1-0 lead.
- Colorado Mesa threatened to answer in the bottom of the sixth inning as they looked to quickly erase the Mountain Lions' newfound lead. Pinch hitter Molli Magana delivered a one-out double to left center field, and a walk to Kamdyn Haggerty put two runners on. After an infield fly resulted in the second out and moved the runners to second and third, Kunze managed to work out of trouble once again, getting Cailynn Parsons to fly out to right field to end the inning.
- After Tassinari tossed a scoreless top of the seventh, the Mavericks had one last chance against Kunze in the bottom half of the frame. Colorado Mesa put two runners on base with two outs, but Kunze shut the door by getting Ava Stephens to pop up in the infield for the final out, sealing a 1-0 shutout victory for the Mountain Lions.
STATS FROM THE GAME | GAME ONE
- The Mountain Lions recorded nine hits in the ballgame while the Mavericks were able to muster just three hits.
- Jacqueline Berkowitz (2-for-3) was the lone Mountain Lion to notch a multi-hit game, while seven additional players recorded one hit apiece.
- Scott drove home the game-winning RBI in the top of the sixth inning, marking the lone run of the game for either team.
- Kunze (8-2) secured her eighth win of the season with a masterful performance in which she tossed seven shutout innings while allowing just three hits and three walks with four strikeouts.
HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME TWO
- The second game of Saturday's doubleheader saw both teams continue to pitch the ball well as UCCS starting pitcher Kailey Bond and CMU starting pitcher Marisa Nehm matched one another with three scoreless innings to begin the ballgame. The stalemate was broken in the top of the fourth when Mountain Lion catcher Katie Steinmetz launched a one-out solo home run over the left-field fence, giving UCCS a 1-0 lead.
- Holding a one-run lead, Bond continued to dominate inside the circle, allowing just a single baserunner over the next three innings to keep UCCS ahead 1-0 entering the seventh frame.
- Looking to add insurance runs in the top of the seventh frame, the Mountain Lions struck quickly as Tayler McCombs led off the frame with an opposite-field home run over the left field fence, extending the lead to 2-0. UCCS kept the momentum going as Mackenzie Scott drew a walk and later scored on an RBI triple by Laynee Case, with Case eventually crossing home plate herself on a sacrifice fly by Mackenzie Johnson that gave the Mountain Lions a 4-0 advantage.
- Bond returned to the circle for the bottom of the seventh inning with hopes of dealing Colorado Mesa a second consecutive shutout, but the Mavericks quickly found themselves with a run on the board and the bases loaded with nobody out after starting the inning with a trio of singles and an error, prompting UCCS to call upon junior pitcher Charlee Hoover to attempt to close out the game. Hoover came out of the bullpen firing on all cylinders as she struck out the first hitter she saw before getting a pair of pop ups to finish off her first save of the season in a 4-1 win for the Mountain Lions.
STATS FROM THE GAME | GAME TWO
- The Mountain Lions and Mavericks matched each other with six hits apiece with UCCS drawing two walks to just one for Colorado Mesa.
- Gutierrez notched a pair of hits in the ballgame, while Goldsworth, McCombs, Steinmetz, and Case each notched one.
- McCombs lifted her first home run of the season and Steinmetz hit her fourth of the campaign.
- Bond (5-4) secured her fifth win of the season as she surrendered just one earned run across six stellar innings of work, allowing six hits and one walk while striking out one hitter.
- Hoover notched her first save of the season as she tossed a shutout seventh inning after entering the game with the bases-loaded and a three-run lead.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- With their victory in the first game of today's doubleheader, the Mountain Lions snapped a 20-game losing streak against the Mavericks dating back to April 18, 2021.
- Kunze has now logged five complete game shutouts this season and has eight different appearances of four or more innings in which she has allowed zero earned runs.
- The Mountain Lions had a trio of players extend notable streaks during Saturday's doubleheader as Goldsworth pushed her on-base streak to 18 consecutive games, McCombs extended her on-base streak to 12 straight games, and Gutierrez extended her hitting streak to 10 games.
UP NEXT
- The Mountain Lions will wrap up their series against the Mavericks tomorrow with a doubleheader set to begin at 11 a.m. from CMU Softball 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.
