COLORADO SPRINGS – March 8, 2021 – The Chadron State College softball team split its makeup doubleheader with the University of Colorado Colorado Springs on Monday, winning 10-7 in a morning game before losing 9-7 in the afternoon, in eight innings.
Chadron State goes to 4-9 on the season and 4-4 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play. UCCS is now 6-6 overall, and 5-3 in the RMAC.
"Unfortunately, we didn't execute all the little things today to get two wins," said CSC Head Softball Coach
Kaley Ness, "but I'm proud of the adjustments we made offensively. Our goal for the next series is to be consistent with all phases of the game. We'll work hard this week to prepare for the weekend games against Colorado Christian."
The Eagles' offense continued producing for the second consecutive day, getting 13 base hits in the first game Monday, and later adding 12 more.
A
Gabby Russell RBI triple started things off for the Eagles in their win. CSC got out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, in which it batted last as the official "home" team.
Both sides put across five runs in the second. Mia Perez and Brianna Santos homered for UCCS. In the bottom of the inning CSC answered with home runs by
Angelica Maples,
Jessie Henchenski, and
Sloane Quijas.
What turned out to be the winning run for CSC scored on a throwing error at third base by the Mountain Lions, in the third inning. The Eagles received two unearned runs in the inning due to two errors at third, going up 9-5 headed into the fourth.
UCCS tacked on two runs in the top of the fourth, but were unable to complete a rally, with CSC scoring an insurance run in the fifth.
CSC's
Tia Kohl, who exited the game in the third, picked up her first win of the season, rising to 1-4. UCCS' Gabrielle Cronin fell to 1-2.
The latter game was another slugfest, which went to eight innings.
Once again, CSC went ahead 2-0 for the first runs of the game.
Mackenzi Kroll put a pitch over the center field wall in the bottom of the second to score twice.
UCCS got one run back in the third, and went ahead, for the moment, in the fourth with a pair of timely hits to go with three free bases, giving the Mountain Lions a 4-2 lead.
CSC tied the game after an RBI single by Henchenski in the fifth, followed by a second, clutch homer by Kroll, with two outs left in the bottom of the seventh.
In the eighth, UCCS strung together three singles, two doubles, and a home run for five total runs, putting the Mountain Lions on top 9-5.
The Eagles looked like they could possibly erase the five-run deficit in the final frame, when
Micah Stouffer and
Ellie Owens each singled with one out, and
Addison Spears homered them all home to close to within 9-7.
However, UCCS pitcher Cami Duffey, who went the distance throwing 132 pitches in the game, retired the last two CSC batters immediately following the CSC score.
Duffey improved to 1-1 for UCCS, while
Peyton Propp fell to 2-4 for the Eagles.
Chadron State is scheduled for a series against Colorado Christian University in Denver this weekend, however an unfavorable forecast may possibly result in the games being played in Chadron. More information on location should be available on Tuesday.
