Game 1 Box Score

Game 2 Box Score

DURANGO, Colo. — An old athletic sneaker commercial in the 1990s once noted that, “Chicks dig the long ball.”

It was never more evident than that today, when the Metro State and Fort Lewis softball teams combined for 13 home runs. Metro State (9-5 overall, 4-2 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) belted eight of those aforementioned long balls to sweep a softball doubleheader over Fort Lewis (4-7, 3-3) at Aspen Field today. The Roadrunners won the opener 15-13 and the nightcap 8-4.

“Metro is a very strong offensive team,” said first-year FLC head coach Kira Zeiter. “They showed that today. Our team also did a nice job of hitting. We really came up with some key hits at key times.”

The first game was a hitter's dream. The two teams combined for 30 hits (17 by the Skyhawks), 28 runs and 27 RBI (14 by the Roadrunners) and nine homers — Amber Roundtree, Lauren Hainlen, Aubree Maul and Kasey Nichols went yard for Metro, while Kayla Bruner (twice), Cierra Walters (twice) and Kamali'i Peneku blasted moon shots for the Fort.

The Skyhawks nearly overcame a nightmarish first inning in which Metro State manufactured runs rather than relying on the long ball. Pitcher Kassie Haubert walked the first two runners, gave up a trio of RBI singles and watched her infield boot a ground ball. After she walked the bases loaded with the score already 4-0, Stephanie Janes came out of the bullpen but fared no better. After immediately getting a force out at home (the second out of the frame), she walked in two runs to make the score 6-0 before the Skyhawks had their first at-bat.

Fort Lewis chipped away at the lead in the bottom of the first, benefitting from a leadoff walk by Walters, a double by Bruner and a two-run single by Janes.

The Skyhawks trimmed the lead to 6-5 in the second. After the first two batters grounded and struck out, Walters doubled to right center and scored on an RBI single to right by Jordan Willis. Chelsea Rodriguez and Bruner kept the rally alive with a walk and a single, respectively. Janes drove in two with a single up the middle.

Metro's bats woke back up in the third. Danni Hedstrom led off with a single to left. Roundtree doubled to center. Molly Clark and Jennessa Testone were hit by pitches, the latter driving in Hedstrom. Julia Diehl then grounded to third, which Rodriguez fielded and threw home to for the out. When Bruner tried to turn the double play by throwing out Diehl at first, her throw hit the runner and allowed Clark to score. The next batter, Hainlen, cleared the bases with a three-run blast.

Fort Lewis matched the Roadrunners in the bottom of the third, scoring five runs on six hits. Much of the damage was done off the bats of Rodriguez (a two-run double to right) and Bruner (a two-run homer).

Home runs in the next three innings helped Metro pad their lead, 15-10. Roundtree hit a two-run shot in the fourth, while Maul knocked out a solo shot in the fifth and Nichols connected on a solo dong in the sixth.

Fort Lewis rallied for two on the sixth on solo shots by Bruner and Peneku. Walters got the Skyhawks to within 15-13 in the bottom of the seventh on her second blast of the game, but the rally ended there and Metro staved off yet another FLC comeback.

Jessica Mattes (1-0) picked up the win for MSCD, while Haubert (3-3) was tagged with the loss.

Roundtree hit two homers for the Roadrunners in the second game and went 2-for-3, scoring three times and driving in a pair. Diehl went 2-for-2 with four RBI — three of which came on a home run in the fifth inning that gave Metro State a 6-3 lead after the Skyhawks twice rallied to tie the game. Clark smacked a two-run tater in the seventh to put some insurance runs on the board.

Fort Lewis was led by Peneku, who went 3-for-4 with a double. Destinee DeHerrera went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI, while Willis went 2-for-4.

Maul pitched a complete game, surrendering 12 hits and three walks to improve to 4-3 on the season.

Alyse Harris (1-3) went the distance for FLC, giving up eight runs but just six hits. She did hurt herself by allowing five bases on balls.

The same two teams meet at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. tomorrow in the final doubleheader of the series at Aspen Field.