While the newest alumni of Fort Lewis College were celebrating graduation not far away in Whalen Gym, the Skyhawk Softball team (18-21, 16-18 RMAC) was fighting through two tough home games against Colorado Christian University (24-20, 20-10 RMAC). After losing a game that they'd probably like to forget, the Skyhawks regrouped and earned a gutsy win to split the Saturday series.
 
FLC looked like they had the first game under control, up 4-2 after two innings. The wheels fell off in the third, however, with CCU driving in eight runs. The Cougars never looked back as they rolled to a 15-4 win.
 
Alyssa Zimmerman led the way for CCU, going 3-3 with three RBIs. Hannah Rapoport and Jennifer Irving both contributed as well with 3-4 outings. All told, the Cougars racked up 17 hits to only five for the Skyhawks. Genevieve Reyna (5-4) earned the win on the mound for CCU, while Skyhawk Kassie Haubert (6-12) picked up the loss.
 
The second game was a tight contest, with both teams going scoreless through three innings. Just like the first game, the Skyhawks took the initial lead, but after a grand slam by the Cougars, FLC once again found itself in a hole. The Skyhawks wouldn't go away, though. Erica Conley led the charge with three hits. She was backed up by two hits each from Kaylynn Harmon, Kamali'i Peneku, and Myndee Thompson.
 
After six innings, the game was tied 5-5. The seventh was scoreless, setting the stage for eighth inning heroics. The heroics would belong to the Skyhawks, who scored the winning run in the bottom of the eighth to take the win. FLC's Victoria Johnson (8-7) earned the win and Genevieve Reyna (5-4), who came on in relief, took the loss.
 
The Skyhawks are 7-3 in their last ten games and hold the seventh spot in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference standings. They face the third place CCU Cougars in another doubleheader on Sunday.