Written By: Durango Herald Sports Staff
March 29, 2010. Denver, CO. - A pair of costly errors foiled the Fort Lewis College softball team Saturday afternoon in the Front Range.
The Skyhawks lost 9-3 to No. 8-ranked Metro State in the first of a four-game weekend series in Denver.
The teams will play a tripleheader starting at 10 a.m. today.
“The errors cost us big time," FLC head coach Pam Adams said. “Big time, they hurt us."
The Skyhawks gave up four runs with two outs in the bottom of the second inning, including two unearned runs.
Kellie Nishikida of Metro State drew a throwing error on a ball hit on the infield, scoring Jennessa Tesone and Jessica Haab.
Sarah Rusch hit a two-run single down the left-field line to score two more.
After Metro State scored one more run in the bottom of the fourth, the Skyhawks got on the board with four consecutive two-out hits.
Chelena Coulston keyed the rally with a two-run double for Fort Lewis.
Metro State, again exploiting an FLC error, put up four more runs in the sixth.
Haab hit a solo home run to right in the sixth inning for the Roadrunners, 18-2 overall, 15-1 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
“You cannot give extra outs and extra at-bats to a good team like that. They will make you pay every time," Adams said. “We hit the ball all around," Adams said after the Skyhawks tallied eight hits against Christie Robinson, who improved to 7-1 on the season.
Robinson is the RMAC Preseason Pitcher of the Year for Metro State, which received the most preseason votes in the coaches' poll to finish first in the East and win the conference.
Amanda Willmon and Brooke Bails had two hits each. Jordan Willis, Ashley Hibbs and Natalie Jones had the other hits for the Skyhawks.
“That was the best pitcher they have, the best pitcher in the conference," Adams said. “And we did hit the ball around pretty good."
Adams said Kassie Haubert did an excellent job in the pitching circle for the Skyhawks.
Haubert allowed only five earned runs and nine hits against the nationally ranked Roadrunner lineup.
Robinson gave up eight hits, struck out five Skyhawks and allowed no walks.
Amber Roundtree led Metro with two hits. Rusch also had two hits. Tara Mickelson drove in two runs for the Roadrunners.
Today's schedule was revised to a tripleheader because of travel complications Friday and Saturday that limited the teams to only one game Saturday afternoon in Denver.
Shaky defense doomed the Skyhawks again.
The Fort Lewis College softball team lost all three games of a rare tripleheader Sunday, falling to Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference leader Metro State 7-0, 9-2 and 12-4 in Denver.
With a 9-3 victory over the Skyhawks on Saturday, the eighth-ranked Roadrunners completed the four-game weekend sweep.
“Our defense was horrible," FLC head coach Pam Adams said. “We're messing up the simplest plays. I don't know what it is - I don't know if it's lack of concentration or what."
She said the unearned runs crippled the Fort Lewis pitching staff against the hard-hitting No. 8 team in the nation.
“More than half of their runs (Sunday) were unearned. You can't do that with good teams," Adams said as the Skyhawks fell to 10-14 overall, 9-9 in the RMAC.
Metro State improved to 18-1 in the RMAC, 21-2 overall.
“Metro played really solid defensively," Adams said. “And, of course, they can hit like no other team in the conference. It was not pretty out there."
The final 12-4 loss in five innings was a microcosm of the day for Fort Lewis.
Amber Roundtree hit two big home runs for Metro State as part of a 3-for-3 day.
Jennessa Tesone hit a homer and drove in four runs for the Roadrunners. Aubree Maul added a three-run double.
Amanda Willmon had a pair of hits in the final Fort Lewis loss.
Natalie Janes and Ashley Hibbs added home runs for FLC.
“We have to leave this (weekend) behind us," Adams said. “We just have to have better effort. We need to get home and work on some things (defensively). Then, we'll be all right.
“We have to get home and get ready for Friday," Adams said of the upcoming RMAC doubleheader against Western New Mexico, scheduled for noon Friday at Aspen Field on the FLC campus.
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