ALAMOSA, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs softball team opened their four-game series at Adams State University with a pair of victories as they earned a 16-8 win in the first game of Thursday's doubleheader before closing the day with an 8-4 victory.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: Game 1: UCCS 16, ASU 8 | Game 2: UCCS 8, ASU 4
Records: UCCS (22-13, 16-10 RMAC), ASU (7-29, 6-20 RMAC)
Location: ASU Softball Field | Alamosa, Colo.
All-Time Series: UCCS improves to 75-56 all-time against the Grizzlies.
HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME ONE
- The Mountain Lions quickly found themselves with runners on second and third base with nobody out in the top of the first inning against Adams State starting pitcher Aryana Munoz as Jennavieve Goldsworth drew a leadoff walk and stole a pair of bases before Alyssa Gutierrez followed with another walk and a stolen base of her own. After a fly ball to shallow right field by Gianna Pancost resulted in the first out of the inning, cleanup hitter Addy Baxter cleared the bases with a double into the left center field gap that gave UCCS an early 2-0 advantage. The lead continued to grow as the inning progressed as Tayler McCombs drove home Baxter with an RBI triple over the left fielder's head before a sacrifice fly by Mackenzie Scott brought home McCombs to score the fourth run of the frame. UCCS went on to add on a two-out run in the frame with a double by Halley Redd and a triple by Laynee Case making it a 5-0 lead for the Mountain Lions after half an inning.
- Following a scoreless frame from UCCS starting pitcher Autumn Kunze in the bottom half of the first, the Mountain Lions manufactured another run in the top of the second as Gutierrez drew a one-out walk and stole second and third base before being brought around to score on a sacrifice fly by Baxter. In the bottom of the second, Adams State managed to get the run back as Caylie Eiguren launched a leadoff home run to make it a 6-1 ballgame, but Kunze retired the next three hitters to finish the inning without any further damage.
- UCCS added three more runs in the top of the fourth inning as Goldsworth led off with a triple to center field and eventually scored the first run of the frame on an RBI groundout by Pancost. With two outs in the inning, Baxter started another rally for the Mountain Lions as she hit a single up the middle and stole second base and came around to score on an RBI triple by McCombs before an RBI infield single by Scott scored another run to make it a 9-1 ballgame.
- After the Grizzlies plated four unearned runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, the Mountain Lions returned the favor as a walk by Katie Steinmetz and a single by Goldsworth put UCCS in position to score two unearned runs of their own on a throwing error by the Adams State catcher, making it an 11-5 game after four and a half frames.
- Adams State scored twice in the fifth inning and once in the sixth inning against UCCS relief pitcher Janessa Giugliano to cut their deficit to just three runs, but the Mountain Lions used an RBI triple by Goldsworth, an RBI single by Gutierrez, a two-run home run from Pancost, and an RBI double by Redd to put together a five-run frame in the top of the seventh, increasing their lead back to eight runs at 16-8. Giugliano returned to the rubber to pitch the bottom of the seventh for the Mountain Lions and tossed a perfect frame to secure the series-opening victory over the Grizzlies.
STATS FROM THE GAME | GAME ONE
- The Mountain Lions outhit the Grizzlies 18-8 and drew five walks without a single strikeout.
- Goldsworth, Baxter, McCombs, and Case recorded three hits apiece, while Gutierrez and Redd both posted two-hit performances.
- Pancost launched her fifth home run of the season and drove in three runs, while Baxter also notched three RBIs in the game and McCombs and Scott both drove in two runs.
- UCCS had nine extra-base hits in the contest, including three doubles, five triples, and Pancost's home run.
- The Mountain Lions were aggressive on the basepaths as they stole seven bases in the game, including three from Gutierrez, two by Goldsworth, and one apiece from Baxter and Genesis Jaramillo.
- Kunze (9-2) earned her ninth win of the season as she tossed four innings and allowed five runs (one earned) while striking out four hitters. Giugliano pitched the final three innings of the ballgame, surrendering three runs (one earned) on two hits and a walk while recording one strikeout.
HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME TWO
- Much like the first game of the day, Goldsworth and Gutierrez provided a quick spark from the top of the lineup to begin game two as they notched back-to-back singles to lead off the top of the first inning and each stole a base to put two runners in scoring position. Pancost wasted little time taking advantage of the situation as she laced the second pitch she saw into right field for a two-RBI single that gave UCCS an early advantage. Steinmetz followed with a single into right field that moved Pancost to third base before a fielders' choice by McCombs pushed Pancost across the plate and increased the Mountain Lions' lead to 3-0.
- Despite the early deficit, Adams State clawed their way back into the game as an RBI single by Eiguren in the first inning and a hit-by-pitch of Isabel Rodriguez in the second inning by UCCS starting pitcher Kailey Bond made it a 3-2 game after two full innings of action.
- The top of the Mountain Lions' lineup ignited another rally in the top of the third inning as Goldsworth led off the frame with a single and stole second before immediately being brought around to score on an RBI triple by Gutierrez that pushed the UCCS lead to 4-2. An RBI single by Pancost in the Mountain Lions' next at-bat plated Gutierrez for the fifth run of the game and after moving to third base on a stolen base and a sacrifice bunt, Pancost also came around to score on an RBI groundout by Scott to extend the advantage to 6-2.
- The Grizzlies took advantage of a trio of Mountain Lion defensive errors in the bottom of the fourth inning as they plated a pair of runs to cut the UCCS lead to just two runs at 6-4. The Mountain Lions two-run lead held until the top of the seventh inning when they scratched across a pair of insurance runs on an RBI groundout by Pancost and an RBI single by McCombs that pushed the score to 8-4.
- In the bottom of the seventh inning, UCCS relief pitcher Charlee Hoover struck out three of the five hitters she faced around a hit and an error to secure a doubleheader sweep for the Mountain Lions.
STATS FROM THE GAME | GAME TWO
- UCCS recorded 13 hits in the second game of Thursday's doubleheader, with 11 of them coming from the top four spots in the starting lineup.
- Goldsworth had a perfect 4-for-4 line from the leadoff spot and scored three runs, while Steinmetz put together a 3-for-3 performance and Gutierrez and Pancost collected a pair of hits each.
- Pancost led the team with four RBIs from the three-hole in the lineup, while McCombs drove home a pair of runs and Gutierrez and Scott each notched one RBI.
- UCCS added five more stolen bases in the contest as Goldsworth swiped two bags and Gutierrez, Pancost, and McCombs each stole one base.
- Bond (6-4) was credited with her sixth win of the season after allowing four runs (two earned) across four innings of work, giving up seven hits and no walks while striking out five batters.
- Hoover put together a dominant showing out of the bullpen as she tossed three scoreless innings in relief of Bond, allowing just two hits and posting seven strikeouts.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- With their two wins today, the Mountain Lions have now won eight consecutive games against Adams State and hold a 9-1 record against the Grizzlies under head coach Dwight Sanders.
- After another strong day at the plate, Goldsworth extended her on-base streak to 22 games and has hit safely in 11 straight games.
- McCombs also extended her on-base streak to 16 games with her solid day at the plate.
UP NEXT
- The Mountain Lions will conclude their four-game series at Adams State tomorrow with another doubleheader from ASU Softball Field beginning at 11 a.m.
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.
