SILVER CITY, N.M. – Chadron State College's softball team held off Western New Mexico University in a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference game to earn its first win of the season, 9-8, Sunday morning. Chadron State would follow up against Colorado State University of Pueblo (7-8, 3-0 RMAC), losing 5-4 in a close heartbreaker.
 
Chadron State (1-15, 1-3 RMAC) would start out swinging, with Zoe Humphries smashing a double to bring home Caroline Johnson, taking an early 1-0 lead. The Mustangs (4-10, 1-2 RMAC) Linzy Granger would hit a solo home run in the bottom of the first to tie the game, then the Eagles Aspen Eubanks, 3-4 hitting with three RBIs, answered with a solo home run of her own in the second.
 
CSC would jump out to a 6-1 lead following a third inning in which Katelyn Kruger hit a two-run single up the middle, followed by a two-run double to center field by Eubanks. The Eagles would score two more runs in the fifth, taking an 8-3 lead after a solo home run by Casey Polk, a double by Zoe Humphries to bring Polk home, and a single up the middle by Kruger to bring Humphries around the bases.
 
The Mustangs would do their best to get back into the game, scoring two runs in the sixth to bring the game to 8-5. Chadron State would enter the top of the seventh inning with a three run lead, when Kruger, who was 2-3 at the plate with three RBIs, would be walked. Three batters later, Courtney Lecher hit a single to bring Kruger around, taking a comfortable 9-5 lead. CSC pitcher Tayler Hall (1-5 W) would step up to complete the game, and following a pair of walks and singles, threw her way out of the inning for the win, 9-8.
 
In the second game of the day, CSC jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead when Polk hit a single up the middle to bring Lecher home. Humphries would hit a solo home run in the third to take a 2-0 lead. Late in the sixth inning, Shea Graham, who had three hits in three at bats, would double to left field to bring Eubanks home, and a play later Bekka Prokaski would come in as a pinch hitter, hitting a sacrifice fly to push the lead to 4-0.
 
CSU-Pueblo would find rhythm when Alyssa Ubrun would start off the seventh inning with a solo home run. Two batters later, Sidney Bailey would hit a 2-run home run to bring the score to 4-3. The next three runners would reach bases on two singles and a walk, and with two outs Lexie Martindale would come in to pinch hit, hitting a single to center field to bring home two runs and take the lead. CSC would have three at bats in the bottom of the seventh, but could not find a hit.
 
Eagles' pitcher Cierra Cosslett had seven strikeouts in the loss to the ThunderWolves, while Hall had five in the win against the Mustangs.
 
Chadron State next plays Colorado School of Mines, Saturday, Feb 28, and Sunday, March 1, in Golden, Colorado.