COLORADO SPRINGS – February 27, 2022 – The Chadron State College softball team got in the win column on Sunday, splitting a pair of games at University of Colorado Colorado Springs and avoiding a sweep in the opening Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference series of the season.
 
Sophomore Mackenzi Kroll launched three home runs in the morning game, in the first, third, and seventh innings, putting across four RBI.
 
The Eagles committed two errors in a third inning skid, allowing the Mountain Lions their only lead, at 6-4, after three unearned runs.
 
Sophomore Sloane Quijas offered up a two-run shot in the fifth, tying the game at 6-6, before an unearned run later in the inning gave CSC the final go-ahead
 
Kroll's seventh-inning blast proved to be the game-winner. CSC finished on top 9-7, after the Mountain Lions claimed one more run on a pair of base hits in their final at-bat.
 
Lauren Zimmerman contributed a sacrifice fly in the first.
 
Freshman Kenzi Garner collected the first pitching win of the year for the Eagles, due to the brief UCCS lead in the third and fourth innings. She pitched the final five and one-third innings for CSC to improve to 1-1.
 
The loss for the Mountain Lions went to Mackenzie Rutkoff in her first pitching decision of the year.
 
Sunday's afternoon game went to UCCS by a 4-1 margin after CSC took a brief lead in the top of the first inning.
 
The Eagles took advantage of a Mountain Lion fielding error when Quijas singled, and the ball was misplayed in right field. Freshman Aliyah Rothstein, who had earlier singled and stolen second, comfortably reached home on the throw.
 
Another pair of errors by the Eagles allowed UCCS to tie the score 1-1 in the bottom of the inning.
 
The home team scored twice in the fourth and once more in the sixth, and UCCS pitcher Lexi Rayburn scattered eight hits over a complete seven-inning game, striking out nine CSC batters along the way. Rayburn improved to 2-1 on the season.
 
CSC senior Gabby Russell performed well too, allowing only three earned runs in a complete six-inning game. She struck out six and walked only one batter, yet fell to 0-1 on the season.
 
Rothstein batted 6-of-8 on Sunday to lead the Eagles at the plate. Senior Allie Mason was 4-for-7 with one walk. Kroll batted 3-for-6, putting all three hits over the wall for four RBI and walking twice. Quijas added three RBI on 3-for-7 batting.

The Eagles are now 1-13 (1-3 RMAC), while the Mountain Lions run their record to 5-5 (3-1 RMAC).
 
CSC hosts its home opener on Saturday, March 5, at noon, against the CSU-Pueblo ThunderWolves, who won a closely contested home series 3-1 against Colorado School of Mines this past weekend.