SILVER CITY, N.M. – March 8, 2015 – Thirty-three hits, six home runs and five doubles led the Fort Lewis College softball team to a doubleheader sweep Sunday afternoon at Western New Mexico University.  The Skyhawks won game one, 17-8, before Kiley Raica pitched the Skyhawks to their first shutout win of the season, 9-0, in five innings.
 
"This was a good way to finish the weekend with two wins," said head coach Kira Zeiter.  "We played well in all aspects of our wins today, and we're ready to take that momentum into the games next weekend."
 
In game one, the Skyhawks were the first on the scoreboard when they crossed home plate twice in the third inning.  Tristen Gilbert singled to right field to drive in Adriana Rosthenhausler.  Mandy Owens then hit a sacrifice fly to center field to score Myndee Thompson.
 
Fort Lewis took a 4-0 lead in the top of the fourth before WNMU scored in the bottom of the inning.  The Mustangs committed four errors in the fourth inning that led to two runs for the Skyhawks.  After reaching base on a fielding error, Denae Fisher eventually scored on Jeovanna Rios' sacrifice fly.  Missy Fundora, who reached first base on a throwing error, scored the fourth run of the game on a Mustangs fielding error.
 
In the fifth inning, Fisher singled to right field to score Owens.  FLC added three more runs in the sixth inning.  Rios accounted for two of them when she hit a two run shot to center field that scored Thompson.  Gilbert followed with a single home run, tallying her third home run of the season.
 
The Skyhawks exploded in the top of the seventh, scoring nine runs on 10 hits.  Thompson singled to left field to score Fisher.  Rios then hit her second home run of the game to score Thompson and Fundora. Gilbert singled up the middle and scored on the next play from a Mustangs fielding error.  After a pitching change, Lauren Caldwell singled to second base to score Owens.  Fundora drove two more home on a double to left field, scoring Fisher and Nikki Klepfer.  Amanda Gonzales entered the game to pinch hit for Rosthenhausler.  Gonzales singled up the middle to drive home Fundora for the ninth run of the inning. 
 
The Mustangs carded three runs in the bottom of the seventh but the Skyhawks held victorious, 17-8.
 
Fort Lewis out-hit WNMU, 22-10, and forced the Mustangs to commit seven errors. 
 
Thompson and Caldwell each posted four hits while Fundora and Gilbert accounted for three each.  Rios, Owens and Fisher each posted two hits as seven Skyhawks had multiple hits. 
 
Rios recorded the second most runs batted in in a game with six.  Fundora, Thompson and Fisher each crossed home plate three times.
 
Victoria Johnson earned her fifth win in the circle after working 4.2 winnings and allowing two earned runs on six hits.  Olivia Goldberg finished the game, allowed six runs (three earned) on four hits.
 
In the series finale, the Skyhawks posted a five-inning, 9-0 shutout win with 11 hits.  Rios singled up that middle   drove in Thompson for a 1-0 lead in the first inning.  The Skyhawks added four more runs in each of the third and fifth innings.
 
Rosthenhausler hit a sacrifice fly to left field to score Fundora before Rios hit a single shot home run to center field.  Mandy Owens hit her second home run of the season and scored Gilbert in the process to give the Skyhawks a 5-0 lead after three innings.
 
In the top of the fifth inning, Gilbert hit her second home run of the day to score Rios.  Owens drew a walk to reach first base and then stole second before advancing to third on a balk.  She crossed home plate on a wild pitch. Fisher added a run batted in off of a double to score Caldwell for the ninth and final run of the game. 
 
Raica pitched all five innings, allowing only four hits and fanning one batter.
 
Rios finished the game going 3-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBIs.  Gilbert and Owens each batted in two runs and each scored two runs.
 
In today's doubleheader, Rios and Gilbert tallied five hits each with Rios batting in eight runs.  Rios, Gilbert, Owens, Thompson and Fundora also crossed home plate four times between the two games.  Rios added 14 total bases with a 2.000 slugging percentage and a .667 on-base percentage.
 
As a team, the Skyhawks recorded multiple season team highs today in at-bats (41), runs scored (17), hits (22), RBIs (15), home runs (3), total bases (34), and sacrifice hits (three).
 
Fort Lewis will play their next two weekends at home, beginning March 14-15 against Chadron State College.