CHADRON, Neb. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs softball team opened their series against Chadron State College on Saturday afternoon with a pair of wins as they posted a dominant 11-0 run-rule victory to start the day before putting together some late-inning offense for a 10-2 win in game two.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: Game 1: UCCS 11, CSC 0 (5 Innings) | Game 2: UCCS 10, CSC 2
Records: UCCS (10-9, 4-6 RMAC), CSC (2-17, 2-8 RMAC)
Location: CSC Softball Field | Chadron, Neb.
All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions improve to 32-27 all-time against the Eagles.
HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME ONE
- Saturday's series opener started on a high note for the Mountain Lions as three singles and a pair of errors led to a trio of first inning runs. Jacqueline Berkowitz opened the rally with a one-out single up the middle and stole second before being brought across to score the first run of the game on an RBI single by Gianna Pancost. Addy Baxter followed with an RBI single of her own that pushed the game to 2-0 before Halley Redd wrapped up the scoring in the inning with a sacrifice fly.
- UCCS starting pitcher Autumn Kunze pitched effectively to begin the ballgame as she allowed just a pair of singles across the first two innings of the contest. She was rewarded for her efforts in the top of the third inning as a two-out, two-RBI single down the left field by Mackenzie Johnson increased the Mountain Lions' lead to 5-0.
- After extending the lead to 6-0 in the top of the fourth inning with the help of a pair of defensive errors committed by the Eagles, the Mountain Lions put together another rally in the top of the fifth as the first three hitters in the inning reached to load the bases for the leadoff hitter, Jennavieve Goldsworth. UCCS' utility player managed to cash in on the situation, lining a two-RBI single up the middle that pushed the lead to 8-0. The Mountain Lions continued to add on in the inning as it proceeded, scoring their ninth run of the game on another defensive error by Chadron State before a sacrifice fly by Pancost made it 10-0 and an RBI single by Baxter pushed the lead to 11 runs.
- Having already pitched four shutout innings, Kunze returned to the circle in the bottom of the fifth frame for the Mountain Lions and struck out three of the four hitters she faced to finish off a five-inning run-rule victory.
STATS FROM THE GAME | GAME ONE
- The Mountain Lions recorded 13 hits in the series-opener with all of them being singles.
- Goldsworth, Pancost, Baxter, and Redd each notched two-hit performances, while each of the Mountain Lions remaining five starting position players recorded one hit apiece.
- UCCS had four different players drive in two runs apiece, including Goldsworth, Pancost, Baxter, and Johnson, while Redd also accounted for one RBI.
- Kunze (5-2) picked up her fifth win of the season as she tossed five scoreless frames while striking out seven hitters and surrendering just three hits and one walk.
HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME TWO
- Goldsworth sparked an early run-scoring opportunity for the Mountain Lions to start the second game of the doubleheader as she drew a leadoff walk in the first inning and stole second base before moving over to third base on a groundout by Berkowitz. After Mackenzie Scott was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and third, the Mountain Lions put their aggressive baserunning to the test as they executed a double steal with Scott taking second base and Goldsworth coming across to score the first run of the game. With Scott now in scoring position, the Eagles' defensive woes from the first game of the day continued as Pancost hit a ground ball to second base that was muffed by the defender, allowing Scott to cross home plate for a 2-0 Mountain Lion lead.
- The Eagles managed to find a quick response in the bottom half of the first inning as they scored a pair of unearned runs against UCCS starting pitcher Kailey Bond, but both offenses went quiet for the next four innings of play as the game remained 2-2 heading into the top of the sixth frame.
- In their half of the sixth inning, the Mountain Lions' hopes of breaking the tie looked bleak as two of the first three hitters were retired by Eagles' pitcher Brynn Trujillo, but a single by Redd kept the inning going and put two runners on base for catcher Allie Horsford, who laced a double into the left center field gap that scored both runners and gave UCCS a 4-2 lead.
- After five stellar innings from Bond, the Mountain Lions handed the ball over to Janessa Giugliano in the bottom of the sixth inning and the freshman hurler quickly found herself in trouble as she walked the first batter she faced before allowing the next hitter to reach on a fielder's choice. Giugliano buckled down after the early adversity, however, as she struck out the next Eagles' batter before inducing a pair of groundouts to escape the inning with the lead still intact.
- UCCS continued their offensive momentum in the top half of the seventh inning as Berkowitz and Scott led off the frame with back-to-back doubles to extend the lead to 5-2. The rest of the frame saw UCCS add five more runs to their tally as they posted three additional hits, a walk, and benefitted from two more Chadron State defensive errors to create a 10-2 cushion. Giugliano remained in the game inside the circle for the Mountain Lions in the bottom half of the seventh frame and worked around a leadoff double to keep the Eagles off the scoreboard and secure the doubleheader sweep.
STATS FROM THE GAME | GAME TWO
- UCCS notched 10 hits in the second game of the day with Berkowitz and Redd both posting two-hit performances.
- Horsford and Case each drove in a pair of runs, while Goldsworth, Berkowitz, and Scott each recorded one RBI.
- The Mountain Lions stole five bases in the game as Goldsworth swiped two bags and Scott, Brooke Bornitz, and Alyssa Gutierrez each stole one.
- Bond (3-2) earned her third win of the season as she allowed two unearned runs on three hits and three walks while striking out seven hitters.
- Giugliano tossed the final two innings of the game and held the Eagles scoreless while surrendering just one hit and one walk and striking out three batters.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The Mountain Lions have now won seven consecutive games against Chadron State dating back to the 2024 campaign and are 8-2 against the Eagles under current head coach Dwight Sanders.
- Following her stellar pitching performance in the opening game of today's doubleheader, Kunze has now tossed three complete game shutouts this season and has logged five separate pitching outings of five or more innings in which she has allowed zero earned runs.
UP NEXT
- The Mountain Lions will conclude their four-game series at Chadron State tomorrow with a twin bill starting at 11 a.m. from CSC 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.
