Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
DURANGO, Colo. — Cierra Walters hit a three-run walk-off home run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning to lift the Fort Lewis College softball team (5-8 overall, 4-4in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) to a 6-4 win in the first game of a doubleheader against Metro State (10-6, 5-3) today at Aspen Field. The Roadrunners won the nightcap 14-3 in five innings.
“We couldn't ask for more clutch batting performance in the seventh inning, especially with the walk-off home run from Cierra,” first-year FLC head coach Kira Zeiter said of the heroics that ended the first game.
Walters' towering shot cut through a wind that was blowing in and over the fence in right center to cap a four-run seventh that saw four FLC hits.
Trailing 4-2, Hayley Bolyard doubled down the left field line to open the final frame. Kamali'i Peneku singled to center, plating Bolyard and cutting the lead in half. After the next two batters were retired on a fielder's choice and long fly ball to center, Stephanie Janes earned a pinch hit walk to put the winning run aboard. Walters' blast — her third long ball of the year and only hit of the game — ignited a spirited home plate celebration as snowflakes began sweeping across Aspen Field.
“Our team knows with the caliber of batters we have that we're never out of a ballgame,” said Zeiter. “It was nice to see the girls keep their heads up and keep plugging away.”
Things looked bleak early. Metro's Amber Roundtree led off with a homer to left and Molly Clark nearly followed suit, smashing a long ball wide of the left field foul pole. FLC's Kassie Haubert settled down, though, and squelched any further first-inning fireworks.
The Roadrunners loaded the bases in the third on a pair of walks and a single. Lauren Hainlen plated Clark on an RBI fielder's choice to third.
The Skyhawks rallied for a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth. Chelsea Rodriguez opened the scoring with a solo shot to center, her first of the year. Kayla Bruner followed with a single, advanced to second on a Bolyard grounder, and scored on Peneku's seeing-eye single through the right side.
Hainlen put the Roadrunners back on top 4-2 in the fifth with a two-run blast to center. It was the last time they'd rough up Haubert, through.
“I really couldn't ask for any better of a pitching performance than we got from Kassie,” said Zeiter. “Metro is a team that's going to hit the ball, and for her to place the ball and pitch the way she did was very impressive.”
Haubert gave up just five hits and four runs in seven innings to improve to 4-3 in 2011. She did surrender six walks while hitting one batter.
Fort Lewis distributed its seven hits throughout the lineup. Julia Diehl went 6.2 innings to fall to 4-3 for Metro State.
The win was FLC's first over the Roadrunners since Metro State resumed its softball program in 2008.
“For the last year or so, the conference has been trying to catch up to Metro,” said Zeiter. “Whenever you do pull out the victory, you're proud of yourselves because you beat a very competitive team. It's a building block.”
The Skyhawks built onto Walters' pyrotechnics by jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning of the second game. With two outs, Rodriguez and Bruner smashed back-to-back jacks and Bolyard sent a deep fly to center to nearly make it three straight homers.
But the lead wouldn't hold up, as FLC starter Alyse Harris (1-4) and Stephanie Janes were equally wild at the plate. Routinely falling behind in the count, Harris walked four and gave up five earned runs in just 1.2 innings of work. Janes fared no better, giving up five runs (three earned) and two walks in 1.2 innings. By the time Haubert came out of the bullpen to stop the bleeding in the fourth, the Roadrunners were up 10-2.
Joanna Young's solo shot — her first of the year — in the fifth was the only other FLC run.
Metro State, on the other hand, scored 14 runs off nine hits, seven walks and three Skyhawk errors. Roundtree, Clark and Diehl each homered in the nightcap.
Aubree Maul pitched five innings to improve to 5-3 for Metro State. Other than the three solo homers, she allowed just one single and one walk.
“We continued the momentum from the first game in the first inning of the second,” said Zeiter. “We'd like to continue to keep that momentum going throughout the game.”
The Roadrunners won the series 3-1, taking Saturday's doubleheader 15-13 and 8-4.
Fort Lewis travels to Nebraska-Kearney (4-8, 4-4) next weekend for a four-game set with the Lopers. Doubleheaders begin at 11 a.m. (MST) Saturday and 10 a.m. (MST) Sunday.
