Full Release
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) softball action continued in Week Ten.
No. 1 Colorado Mesa remains at 24-0 in conference games and 34-0 overall after their series against Black Hills State was cancelled due to inclement weather. The Yellow Jackets are 8-12 in conference games and 8-20 overall.
Colorado Christian competed in a non-conference doubleheader against CSU-Pueblo and in a conference series against Regis. The Cougars move to 22-4 in conference play and 32-7 overall after suffering four losses this week.
CSU-Pueblo took game one of the day 1-0. Gabby Moreno drove in the lone run on a single. Sabrina Felix tallied three hits. Three Cougars had three hits - Kendall Yasui, Stephanie Day, and Carly Perry.
The Cougars stepped it up in game two for a 4-2 victory. Stephanie Day hit a home run and a double, ending the match 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs. Jennifer Romero earned the win on the mound with three strikeouts and two earned runs allowed in five innings of work. Michaela Burpee drove in the Pack’s two runs.
Against Regis, Colorado Christian dropped the first three games and won the final game of the series.
In game one, Colorado Christian was held to no hits, no runs, and committed two errors as the Rangers earned a 6-0 victory. Logan Losh earned the first no-hitter of her collegiate career, retired the first 17 batters she faced, and struck out six. Alisha Martinez hit her first career home run to cap the Rangers six runs in the game. Melissa Heronema, who is ranked 14
th in the nation in stolen bases, stole two bases to tie Regis’ single-season record of 33.
Regis took game two 4-2. Brianna Benoit hit a two-run single to lead the offensive charge. Taylor Armitage held Colorado Christian’s top four batters to two hits in 12 at-bats and struck out three in seven innings. For the Cougars, Carly Perry went 1-for-2 including a home run, for two RBI. Jennifer Romero held the Rangers to one run and two hits in 5.1 innings.
The Rangers also won the third game of the series 4-2. Losh didn’t yield a hit until the fourth inning, ending her hitless streak at 10.2 innings. She struck out six in seven innings. Ana Apodaca was perfect at the plate with three hits, including a home run. Delaney McGinn hit a triple. Carly Perry and Stephanie Day led Colorado Christian with one hit and one RBI apiece. Hanna Farmer stole three bases.
Colorado Christian earned a 6-4 win in the series finale. Stephanie Day finished 2-for-3, hitting her eighth home run of the season, tallying two runs and two RBI. Amy Edison also hit a home run, her third of the season. The Cougars caught three fly balls in a row in the seventh inning to end the game. Melissa Heronema stole another base to break the Rangers’ program record. Tori Brown and Ana Apodaca each had two hits and an RBI.
The Rangers are now 21-7 in conference games and 26-14 overall.
MSU Denver swept Chadron State in four games this weekend, moving them to 18-10 in RMAC games and 23-19 overall.
Sarena Espinoza hit a home run in the bottom of the fifth to seal a 1-0 win for the Roadrunners. Ashlee Kim led with two hits. Darby McGhee pitched seven innings and tallied six strikeouts and 0 ERA. For Chadron State, Bailynn Meek had two hits and Jessica Jarecki, ranked 16
th in the NCAA in strikeouts, struck out eight.
MSU Denver won game two 3-1. Annika Anderson hit a two-run homer in the final inning for the win. Kylee Burnside took the win as pitcher with seven strikeouts and one ERA in seven innings. Jessica Kleine went 1-for-1 for the Eagles and drove in the only run off a double, scoring Ellie Owens.
Game three went to the Roadrunners, who scored three while holding the Eagles scoreless. Megan Sansburn went 1-for-3 for one RBI, scoring one run. Destinee Lopez stole a base. McGhee struck out seven batters and held Chadron State to 0 hits until the sixth inning. Jarecki struck out five for the Eagles and allowed just one earned run in six innings.
The Roadrunners won the last game 3-0, as well. Sansburn finished 2-for-4, including a double, for one RBI. Anderson tallied one hit and one RBI. Burnside allowed 0 earned runs and struck out three in a complete game. For the Eagles, Leilani Niccum went 3-for-3 at the dish.
Chadron State falls to 9-16 in conference play and 11-24 overall.
Colorado School of Mines went 4-0 against CSU-Pueblo, moving them to 16-12 in conference games and 22-18 overall.
The Orediggers won the series opener 4-3. Clara Larson, ranked eighth in the NCAA in doubles, hit a home run and a double to drive in two of Colorado School of Mines’ four runs. Kara Jones had two hits and one RBI. Hallie Smith threw a key strikeout and sent a pop-up to Pua Fujinaga in the seventh inning to end the game. For the ThunderWolves, Sabrina Felix went 2-for-4 for one RBI, also scoring a run.
Larson continued her offensive dominance in game two, driving in five runs off three hits, including two doubles. Fujinaga had two hits for one RBI. Colorado School of Mines trailed 2-1 entering the fourth inning, but back-to-back four-run innings propelled them ahead for good. Claire Stringfellow fanned six batters in the 9-4 win for the Orediggers. Marissa Piatt paced the Pack with one hit, two runs, and an RBI.
In game three, Larson hit a walk-off homer in the bottom of the eighth inning to end the game and give the Orediggers a 7-6 victory. She ended the game with two hits total. Sonoma Toot went 3-for-5, including a home run, tallying three RBI. Megan Dickson hit a home run and ended the game with two hits. Gabby Moreno hit a double for CSU-Pueblo for one RBI. She also scored a run.
The Orediggers scored a season-high 15 runs in a 15-1 victory to sweep the series. Larson, who hit a triple and a double, and Dickson each tallied three RBI. Kara Jones, Sydney Marchando, and Loren Dempsey recorded two RBI apiece. Stringfellow allowed just two hits in five innings. Hana Mawlawi notched her first career hit. Michaela Burpee drove in the Pack’s lone run off her one hit.
CSU-Pueblo is now 7-21 in conference play and 9-30 overall.
UCCS earned three wins against Adams State and are now 11-17 in conference games and 16-24 overall.
The Grizzlies picked up their lone 2-1 win in game one, thanks to Taylor Hays’ pop fly to right field. Kacee Schroeder struck out six Mountain Lions and allowed 0 earned runs. Stephanie Huff, ranked the 10
th toughest player in the NCAA to strike out, led the Grizzlies with two hits. Taylor Reidhead led UCCS on the mound with five strikeouts and one ERA in seven innings. Lexi Belligan had two hits and an RBI.
The Mountain Lions won game two 5-0. Reidhead went 2-for-4, including a double, for two RBI. Belligan also recorded two hits and tallied one RBI and a run. Cami Duffey struck out three in the shutout victory. The Grizzlies totaled eight hits with one error, but still fell short.
In game three, Whitney Weber hit a three-run homer and tallied six RBI in the 13-4 victory for UCCS. Belligan had two hits, a home run and a triple, for one RBI and a run. Huff led the Grizzlies with one hit and two RBI. Hays tallied one hit and one RBI.
UCCS closed out the weekend with a 4-1 win. Reidhead hit a double and finished the game 2-for-3 with one RBI. Alex Cook had one hit on three plate appearances and hit a double to break a 1-1 tie and lead UCCS to victory. For Adams State, Hays went 2-for-2 for one RBI.
Adams State is now 10-14 in conference play and 13-25 overall.
Fort Lewis is now 7-21 in conference games and 13-29 overall after a 3-1 series win over New Mexico Highlands.
Fort Lewis won the first game 8-4. Denae Fisher hit two home runs, the first multi-home run game of her career, and went 3-for-4 with three runs and three RBI. She also stole her 20
th base of the season to break the school record. Mandy Lorenson struck out eight and allowed just two earned runs in seven innings. Angelique Elemen had two hits and one RBI. For New Mexico Highlands, Leah Osborn hit a home run, driving in one run.
New Mexico Highlands won game two 8-2. Sami Kouns went 2-for-4 for two RBI. Desiree Madrid hit a double and scored two runs while driving one in. Isabella Scarale and Brooklynn DeLozier also hit doubles. Brianna Velasquez allowed six hits in seven innings. the Skyhawks, Elemen and McKenna Hefley both hit home runs.
Fort Lewis bounced back in game three to win 8-1. Madelynne Blood-Smyth went 3-for-3, including a home run, for four RBI and two runs. Kaitlyn Barlow had two hits, including a triple, for three RBI. Lorenson struck out 11 batters and tallied 0 ERA in seven innings on the mound. Isabella Scarale drove in the Cowboys’ lone run.
The Skyhawks had a record-breaking game in the final game of the series. Fort Lewis won 18-17, and broke school record for most hits in a game (25), most at-bats in a game (48) and tied the record for most singles in a game (18). Kellsi Peterson went 4-for-5 with four RBI, scoring three runs. Lauren Caldwell and Hefley had four hits apiece. Camrynn Ziegler paced New Mexico Highlands with four hits on five at-bats, six RBI, and two runs. Torri Parman hit a home run and drove in one run, while scoring three.
The Cowboys move to 4-23 in conference games and 8-28 overall.
RMAC Softball Player of the Week
Clara Larson, Colorado School of Mines
Larson had a monster offensive series in Mines' sweep of CSU-Pueblo. The sophomore shortstop slashed .625/.625/1.375 as she was 10-for-16 with seven extra-base hits, including two homers, four doubles, and a triple. She drove in 11 RBI and scored six runs. Her biggest hit came in game three as she drilled a walk-off home run in the bottom of the eighth to win it for the Orediggers.
RMAC Softball Pitcher of the Week
Logan Losh, Regis
Losh was dominant against the RMAC's second best offense over the weekend. She recorded her first collegiate no hitter against Colorado Christian on Saturday and followed it up with a three-hit performance on Sunday. Losh earned two victories, struck out 12, recorded a .095 ERA, and held the Cougars to a .064 batting average in 14.2 innings in the circle. She went 10.2 innings before allowing the first hit of the weekend.