FLC 21, CSC 16
FLC 9, CSC 5
CHADRON, Neb. — Fort Lewis (17-12 overall, 15-5 in the
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) sweep a doubleheader from Chadron State (7-18, 5-11) today, winning 21-16 and 9-5.
Fort Lewis rewrote the school record book in the opener, tying the school standard for hits (21) and setting a new mark for at-bats (45) in a single game.
Chelsea Rodriguez went 5-for-5 with five runs batted in and a pair of home runs to set a new FLC record for total bases (11) while tying records for most hits and most homers.
“Game one today was an offensive battle from both sides,” said second-year FLC head coach
Kira Zeiter. “I was impressed with our ability to have consistent offense from every player throughout the game.”
Destinee DeHerrera had a big first game, too, going 3-for-4 with five RBI (four of which came on a grand slam) and three runs scored.
Leadoff hitter
Cierra Walters was 3-for-7 with four runs, four RBI and a homer. Walters became the first player in school history with seven at-bats in one game.
The top of the order — Walters, DeHerrera, and Rodriguez — went a combined 11-for-16 with 14 RBI and four homers in the see-saw affair that saw each team use three pitchers.
Erica Conley came up big in the No. 9 spot by going 2-for-5 with three runs and three RBI.
Fort Lewis rallied on three separate occasions to reclaim the lead, the last in an eight-run explosion in the top of the sixth to take control of the game at 21-15.
Alexis Villegas (6-3) pitched the final three innings to pick up the win, allowing five runs (three earned) on five hits. Starter
Natalie Janes and reliever
Katie Watkins each pitched two innings, but were roughed up for a combined 11 runs and 13 hits.
Jessica Eatmon (0-1) took the loss for the Eagles, going 1.1 innings, including the bulk of FLC's big sixth frame. She allowed six runs on six hits.
Amy Schorts went 2-for-4 with five RBI, three runs, and two homers in the opener, as the Eagles scattered 15 hits. Katie Londo was 4-for-5 with three runs and two RBI.
Hayley Bolyard hit a third-inning grand slam to propel FLC to a 9-5 win in the nightcap, securing a 3-1 series win — the fifth series that Fort Lewis has taken by a 3-1 clip to start the RMAC season. Bolyard finished 1-for-2 with five RBI, but left the game after five innings when she was hit in the ribs by CSC pitcher Stephanie Townshend. All totaled, seven FLC batters were plunked by pitches in today's twin bill.
DeHerrera continued to swing a hot bat, going 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI.
Kaylynn Harmon went 2-for-5 with two RBI and a run, while
Jordan Willis was 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored.
Kassie Haubert (6-3) pitched a complete game, scattering seven hits and three walks while striking out five.
“Kassie pitched a nice game, going the distance,” said Zeiter. “She used all of her pitches to her advantage. It's nice to have five pitchers to use, and that really was an advantage today.”
Londo hit a three-run home run for the Eagles, while Nikki Ritzen was 2-for-3 with a run scored.
Townshend (3-8) went 3.2 innings, allowing six hits and five runs for the Eagles, while Aryn Grywusiewicz allowed six hits and four runs in 3.1 innings of work.
Even though Fort Lewis went 4-2 in six games this week, they fell into second place in the RMAC standings behind Colorado Christian (17-12, 13-3), which swept a four-game set at Western New Mexico. The Cougars sport a .812 winning percentage compared to FLC's .750.
The Skyhawks return to Aspen Field for a four-game series with third-place Colorado State-Pueblo (12-7, 10-5) next weekend. Saturday's games are slated for noon and 2 p.m., with Sunday's games set to start at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
“We look forward to continuing to play good ball next weekend and to keep hitting the ball well,” Zeiter said.
