Game 1 Box Score

Game 2 Box Score

DURANGO, Colo. — The Fort Lewis College softball team (7-10 overall, 6-6 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) held on for a 5-4 win in the first game before dropping the nightcap 14-5 to New Mexico Highlands (4-18, 2-12) today in gusty conditions Aspen Field.

The Skyhawks relied on the long ball in the first game. Cierra Walters led off with a solo shot to right center to give Fort Lewis a 1-0 lead. In the fourth, Kayla Bruner belted a towering, two-run homer to left and Hayley Bolyard smacked a solo tater to left center to stretch the lead to 5-0.

The Skyhawks struggled with runners on base, though, stranding eight runners in the first three innings alone.

Kassie Haubert (6-4 overall) went the distance in the first game and was one out away from her first shutout of the season. After surrendering two singles and recording two outs — one on a sprawling dive by Bruner to catch a foul ball by NMHU's Melissa Martinez — Haubert began to struggle. First, she walked Alisha Perry to load the bases. Shelby Hoffman and Natasha Reyes each had seeing-eye RBI singles to trim the lead to 5-2. Perry came home on a wild pitch. Roxanne Avalos hit a single up the middle to cut the lead to 5-4. Amanda Beauchamp walked to load the bases again. Haubert induced a ground ball, though, getting Alyssa Rodriguez to hit a ball sharply to third. FLC's Chelsea Rodriguez calmly fielded the ball and stepped on the base to end the rally and the game.

Fort Lewis scored five runs off of seven hits against NMHU starter Melissa Martinez (3-12). Four of FLC's hits were extra-base knocks, with a double by Destinee DeHerrera mixed in with the three home runs by Bolyard, Bruner and Walters.

The Cowgirls were led by Avalos, who went 3-for-4 with an RBI. Alyssa Ramirez was 2-for-4.

The nightcap was a nightmare for the Skyhawks.

Stephanie Janes (0-2) lasted just 3.2 innings and struggled with her control from the outset. Janes walked nine batters and hit another while allowing 10 runs and three hits.

The big inning was the second, one that saw Highlands score six runs on just two hits. An error by Bruner also factored into the frame which saw NMHU record four straight fielder's choices with the bases loaded. Kristy Partridge delivered the biggest blow, a bases-clearing triple to right that stretched the lead to 6-0.

The Skyhawks clawed back to make the score 6-2 on an RBI single by DeHerrera through the left side in the second and a long RBI double to right center by Bruner in the third, but again struggled with runners on the bases, stranding three in the two frames.

The Cowgirls again put up big numbers in the fourth, thanks again to control issues by Skyhawk pitchers. After getting two of the first three batters out, Janes gave up two straight walks and was down 3-1 in the count to Ashley Paiz before being lifted for reliever Alyse Harris. Harris' first pitch was a ball, completing FLC's third straight walk and forcing in another run. Another RBI walk, this one to Samantha Butler, forced in another run and set the table for Hoffman, who delivered an RBI single up the middle that scored two.

Walters hit her second long ball of the day in FLC's half of the fourth, a two-run laser to left center that trimmed the lead to 11-4.

Highlands answered with three runs in the top of the fifth. Partridge started things off with a strange double that ricocheted off an infielder's glove and died in center field, allowing her to stretch her base hit into a two-bagger. A single by Ramirez then plated Partridge. After the next two Cowgirls reached on a walk and an error, respectively, Ashley Paiz drove in two more to make the score 14-4.

FLC added a run in the bottom of the fifth, but scored no more as the game was called after five due to the eight-run rule.

Walters was the only Skyhawk with multiple hits in the second game, going 2-for-3.

Partridge and Ramirez each had two hits in the nightcap for NMHU.

Paiz (2-5) pitched five innings to pick up the victory, surrendering six hits and five runs.

The two teams complete their four-game series at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. tomorrow at Aspen Field.