CHADRON, Neb. – Chadron State softball sealed a 20-win season with a pair of victories over Adams State to start the final series of 2025, winning 11-3 and 6-5 over the Grizzlies on an overcast day in Chadron.
Seven different Eagles drove in runs as the game one as CSC wrapped it up via run rule in six innings, then freshman reliever
Belle Akins slammed the door with four strikeouts in 2.1 innings to earn her fourth save of the season and close out a one-run win in the nightcap.
The two victories for Chadron State (20-28, 16-26 RMAC) clinch the second season winning 20 games or more since the Eagles' school-record 32-win season in 2017. The Eagles will have two more opportunities against Adams State (5-49, 3-39 RMAC) on Saturday to add to their win total before the 2025 season closes.
As part of senior weekend, interim head coach Rob Stack ensured that all eight of his seniors were in the starting lineup for each game, leading to some new positions throughout the day.
Kendall Petty started her second and third games of the season in right field, and
Jazlyn Arvizo made her center field debut in game one, but the highlight was senior pitcher
Tori Haug starting in left field and batting ninth in game two for the first non-circle action of her career. In the first at-bats of her career, Haug finished with a walk, sacrifice fly and a single to carry a career batting average of 1.000 into Saturday night.
The Eagles wasted no time getting on the board in game one of the doubleheader. After a leadoff flyout, the next five batters reached, with an RBI single by
Ashland Baca and a bases-loaded walk by
Angelina Quezada putting the Eagles up 2-0. With two outs, the Eagles added more runs on a wild pitch plus an
Elizabeth Thorngren single to lead 4-0 after one inning of play.
Chadron State accumulated baserunners to add on.
Kendall Petty drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 5-0 before an Arvizo sacrifice fly scored another in the third. The big hits finally started to come in the fifth to break it open, as
J'lyssa Martinez rocketed a two-run double into the right-center field gap before a deep fly ball from Lauren Zimmmerman was dropped, leading to another run.
Ashland Baca smacked a double to left-center to put Zimmerman on third base before
Brogan Allen brought home CSC's 10
th run with an RBI groundout.
With Haug on the bump (and not yet in the lineup), the senior avoided big innings to earn her ninth win of the season. Haug pitched all six innings, allowing three runs on six hits. Haug walked five but struck out eight to set a season high and tie a career high (set three times previously in 2023).
Game two had some nervy moments despite another hot start by the Eagles.
Sophia Brennan had a two-run single in the first, Zimmerman added an RBI base knock in the third and the Eagles received more RBI from Haug on a sacrifice fly and a single up the middle by Martinez to take a 5-2 lead after three innings.
But the Grizzlies were resilient. Adams State scored twice and placed runners on second and third in the fifth, leading CSC to bring out
Belle Akins out of the bullpen with the go-ahead run in scoring position. Akins emphatically struck out ASU's Ali Davis to end the threat, then retired the side in order with two strikeouts in the sixth.
The Eagles got an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth. Haug singled, and pinch-runner
Katelynn Czerpak tried to score on a single by Martinez. The Grizzlies threw out Czerpak at the plate, but Martinez advanced all the way to third on the throw home, enabling her to score on a sac fly by
Angelina Quezada on the next batter.
That loomed large as ASU struck for a solo home run with two outs in the seventh to make it a one-run game once again. But Akins coaxed a comebacker to the mound for the final out, allowing CSC to celebrate.
Saturday will be the final two games of the season for both teams, with game times set for 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Chadron State's Senior Day ceremony will take place in between games, immediately after the final out of game one.
