COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs softball team finished their regular season slate with a doubleheader split against Metropolitan State University Denver on senior day, earning a five-inning run-rule victory to begin the day before dropping the final game of the series.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: Game 1: UCCS 10, MSUD 2 (5 innings) | Game 2: UCCS 4, MSUD 12
Records: UCCS (32-21, 26-18 RMAC), MSUD (35-19, 28-16 RMAC)
Location: Mountain Lion Field | Colorado Springs, Colo.
All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions move to 26-47 all-time against the Roadrunners.
HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME ONE
- Following a scoreless inning from both sides to begin the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, the Roadrunners got on the scoreboard first in the top of the second against UCCS starting pitcher Autumn Kunze as Cheyenne Prieto drew a leadoff walk and promptly came around to score on a two-run home run by Neila Fee.
- The Mountain Lions responded in the bottom half of the second frame as Tayler McCombs and Mackenzie Scott opened the inning with back-to-back singles before Halley Redd drove an RBI double into the left center field gap to cut the deficit to 2-1. After the next two batters were retired by MSUD starting pitcher Brooklyn Levin, Jennavieve Goldsworth stepped up and delivered a two-out, three-run home run that gave the Mountain Lions a 4-2 advantage after two innings of action.
- After Kunze returned to form with a scoreless inning in the top of the third, the Mountain Lions added to their advantage in the home half of the frame with Gianna Pancost launching a leadoff home run over the left field fence to make it a 5-2 ballgame. Following Pancost's home run, UCCS loaded the bases on a pair of singles from Katie Steinmetz and McCombs and a walk by Scott, which signaled the end of Levin's outing in the circle. MSU Denver head coach Annie Van Wetzinga turned the ball over to Kianna Butler on the rubber, and she was welcomed to the ballgame with an RBI single to right field by Redd that pushed the lead to 6-2. With the bases still loaded, UCCS tacked on a couple more runs in the inning with Laynee Case and Brooke Bornitz each hitting sacrifice flies to extend the lead to six runs.
- MSU Denver put together a threat in the top of the fourth inning as they used a pair of singles and a walk to load the bases with two outs in the frame, but Kunze escaped the jam with a three-pitch strikeout of Brooklyn Enny that kept the six-run lead intact.
- The Mountain Lions ballooned their lead to eight runs in the bottom of the fourth inning with RBI singles from Steinmetz and Redd making a 10-2 game in favor of UCCS. In the top of the fifth inning, Kunze worked around a walk and an error to put up another scoreless frame, securing a 10-2 run-rule victory for the Mountain Lions.
STATS FROM THE GAME | GAME ONE
- The Mountain Lions notched 12 hits and drew a pair of walks in the first game of the doubleheader.
- Redd and McCombs both notched 3-for-3 performances, while Goldsworth and Steinmetz each recorded two-hit performances.
- Goldsworth and Redd matched each other with a team-leading three RBIs, with Pancost, Steinmetz, Case, and Bornitz each driving in one run.
- Goldsworth also added a pair of stolen bases to bring her season total to 38, while McCombs swiped her eighth bag of the campaign.
- Kunze (13-5) secured her career-best 13th win of the season, surrendering just two earned runs across five innings pitched with seven strikeouts.
HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME TWO
- The Roadrunners found the scoreboard first in the top of the first inning of the series-finale as Fee lined an RBI single through the right side of the infield against UCCS starting pitcher Kailey Bond for a 1-0 lead. UCCS answered back in the bottom of the first inning as they loaded the bases on a walk by Alyssa Gutierrez, a single by Pancost, and a hit by pitch of Scott. With two outs in the frame and Redd at the plate, Gutierrez broke for home on the catcher's throw back to the pitcher and successfully slid across the plate with a stolen base that evened the game at one run apiece.
- MSU Denver got a pair of runners on base in the top of the second inning with a double from Janessa Esquibel and an infield single by Shay Cwelich, but with two outs in the frame, Bond's control escaped her for a moment as she dealt a hit by pitch and a pair of bases loaded walks that gave the Roadrunners a 3-1 lead.
- The Mountain Lions saw their deficit expand in the top of the third inning as Cwelich cashed in on a leadoff infield single by Neila Lucero with a two-out, RBI double to left field that pushed the Roadrunner's lead to 4-1. MSU Denver continued to add on to their advantage in the top of the fourth inning as Fee lifted a grand slam over the left field fence that made it an 8-1 game and ended the afternoon for Bond. Abby Hayes entered the game in relief of Bond and immediately surrendered a solo home run to Lucero but settled down after that to finish the inning with the score at 9-1.
- UCCS began to chip away at the lead in the home half of the fourth as an RBI double by Case brought the score to 9-2 before a ground ball by Bornitz brought home another run to cut the deficit to six runs. The Roadrunners' lead continued to shrink in the bottom of the fifth inning as Goldsworth launched her second home run of the day over the center field fence, cutting the score to 9-4.
- The Roadrunners put the game away in the top of the seventh inning as an RBI single from Janessa Esquibel and a two-run home run by Brooklyn Enny pushed the score to 12-4. Relief pitcher Natalie Romero tossed a scoreless inning in the bottom of the seventh inning to finish off the series split.
STATS FROM THE GAME | GAME TWO
- The Mountain Lions managed just six hits in the series-finale against MSUD pitching.
- Goldsworth recorded her eighth home run of the season, while Redd and Case each notched a double.
- Bond (9-7) surrendered eight earned runs across 3.0 innings pitched as she was saddled with her seventh loss of the season.
- Hayes tossed the final four innings of the ballgame, allowing four earned runs on seven hits and five walks.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- With the Mountain Lions earning a series split this weekend against MSU Denver and finishing the regular season with a 26-18 record during conference action, the Mountain Lions have secured the No. 5 seed in next week's RMAC Softball Tournament.
- The Mountain Lions' 31 regular season wins marks the most for the program since the 2007 season when the team won 36 regular season contests.
UP NEXT
- The 2026 RMAC Softball Tournament is scheduled to begin on Thursday, May 7 at All Star Park in Lakewood, Colo. Fans can visit www.gomountainlions.com for more information regarding the tournament bracket and coverage.
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.
