FLC 11, UNK 2 (5 innings)
FLC 5, UNK 3

KEARNEY, Neb. — Kaylynn Harmon jacked a three-run homer in the seventh to lead Fort Lewis to a 5-3 win in the nightcap after Stephanie Janes smashed a pair of taters and drove in five in the opener as Fort Lewis swept Nebraska-Kearney 11-2 and 5-3 at Dryden Park today.

“We were pleased to see our bats return today,” said second-year FLC head coach Kira Zeiter. “We had a good combination of factors today … solid pitching, defense, and hitting, which led to good results. Today we also had clutch and timely hitting in the seventh inning, showing the fight that our teams has and that we are never out of a game. We are looking forward to this week (and the RMAC playoffs).”

With Fort Lewis (26-23 overall, 24-16 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) trailing 2-1 with one out and runners at the corners in the top of the seventh, Harmon belted her sixth bomb of her freshman season to stake the Skyhawks to a 4-2 lead. Fort Lewis quickly loaded the bases and added insurance as Natalie Janes drove in another run on her third single of the game.

The Lopers (24-22, 21-15) trimmed the lead to 5-3 on a two-out, solo homer by Mallory Noakes, but FLC's Kassie Haubert (10-6) struck out Ali Seberger to end the game. Haubert was brilliant, striking out 10 Lopers while holding UNK to just three runs (two earned) and eight hits.

Nebraska-Kearney's Becky Dunn (10-8) pitched strong for six innings, holding FLC to just one run and four hits, but the wheels came off in the seventh. After she retired leadoff batter Jordan Willis, seven straight Skyhawks reached on six hits and an error. FLC was unable to plate any more runs off reliever Kirstie Hiatt, but the damage was already done.

While Fort Lewis saved its theatrics for the end of the nightcap, they did the opposite in the opener, exploding for 10 runs in the first three innings. Stephanie Janes went 4-for-5 and followed an RBI single in the first with two-run bombs to left in the second and third as FLC dusted the cobwebs from their bats that produced just two runs in yesterday's doubleheader loss to the Lopers.

Natalie Janes added a solo homer in the fourth and went 2-for-3. Destinee DeHerrera was 3-for-4 and scored three runs for the Skyhawks.

All totaled, Fort Lewis belted 13 hits in the five-inning game. The Skyhawks scored early and often, with three runs in the first and second frames and four more in the third before the Lopers finally got on the board.

Pitcher Alexis Villegas (7-9) allowed just two runs and six hits.

Hiatt (13-10) took the loss for the Lopers in the opener, giving up six runs on four hits in 3.1 innings of work before being lifted for reliever Bailey Backhuus.

Fort Lewis is now watching and waiting to find out where they'll finish in the topsy-turvy RMAC standings. The Skyhawks entered the day needing a sweep at UNK, a Colorado Mesa sweep of Colorado Mines, a Western New Mexico sweep at Colorado State-Pueblo, and the right combination of losses for Colorado Christian and Metro State in order to share the league regular season crown.

Regardless, today's Skyhawk sweep ensures just the third winning season in the 29-year history of FLC softball. Fort Lewis went 27-17 in 2001 and 28-26-1 in 2008, winning the RMAC postseason title and an automatic berth in the NCAA playoffs in the latter.