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Mandy Lorenson
Will McLaughlin, Adams State

Softball Brian Kortz

Softball Carries 3-0 Start to Season Into Dixie State Tournament

ST. GEORGE, Utah – Off to their best start in 30 years, the Fort Lewis College softball team will look to keep the momentum going when they travel west to Utah to compete in the Dixie State Tournament from Thursday through Saturday facing five teams.

FLC will open the week on Thursday facing Hawaii Pacific at 10 a.m. and then against MSU Billings at 3 p.m. On Friday, the Skyhawks again will play at 10 a.m. and at 3 p.m., starting off with Central Washington and then finishing the day against Western Washington. To close the tournament, FLC will face Northwest Nazarene out of Idaho on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.

It was an opening trip to remember for the Skyhawks when they played in Albuquerque this past weekend, picking up wins against Oklahoma Baptist (9-0) and two against Eastern New Mexico (3-1 and 7-3).

Emily Morris had a debut to remember, tossing nine innings over the course of two games picking up a win in both to earn her Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week accolades. The pitching staff was dominant allowing just two earned runs in 19 innings pitched. Mandy Lorenson picked up a complete game victory in the first win over Eastern New Mexico, allowing just two hits and one earned run. Kelly Decker also tossed three innings, allowing just one earned run.

The offense was there as well, posting a .341 batting average, with 30 hits, 19 runs scored, three doubles, a triple, four home runs and 17 RBI. Nine players hold at least a .333 batting average after the first three games in Pilar Gutierrez, McKenna Hefley, Kylie Hefley, Allison Young, Angelique Elemen, Hannah Gondini, Kaitlyn Barlow, Kelly Barr and Mackenzie Parks. Gutierrez holds the top average on the team at .667 with six hits, a double and two runs scored. McKenna Hefley has a .500 batting average with five hits, a double and an RBI, along with a run scored. Gondini is at .500 after starting 1-2 with a run scored. Taylor Hollestelle leads the way in the power numbers with a home run and five RBI, while holding a .273 batting average. Taylor Beaman, Elemen and Kylie Hefley all have home runs to start the season.

Elemen continues her pursuit of history, as she stacks up in program history in nearly every statistical category including fourth in batting average (.394), sixth in hits (168), leaving her just six away from the top-five, second in slugging percentage (.776), sixth in doubles (34), second in total bases (331), 42 away from tying Chelsea Rodriguez for the top spot, second in home runs (41), one away from tying Chelsea Rodriguez from the top spot, ninth in runs scored (90), 13 away from moving into the top-five, second in runs batted in (143), just four away from tying for the top spot, seventh in fielding percentage (.989) and 10th in putouts (416), six away from tying for ninth.

First up will be a matchup against Hawaii Pacific. The Sharks are 1-4 to start the season, having opened the year with a 3-1 win over then ranked No. 23 UC San Diego, 3-1. Since then they've lost four straight against MSU Billings (three times) and Sonoma State. Hawaii Pacific hits .147 as a team and allows a .338 average, while in the circle the Sharks have a 5.79 ERA and opponents hold a 1.48 ERA.

Malia Torres leads the way with a .750 batting average, while Tiana Cantero-Kawelo is hitting .333. In the circle, Jordan Curry has tossed 12.1 innings, allowing six earned runs for a 3.41 ERA. She has the one win on the season. Alexis Morales is second on the team with a 5.44 ERA in nine innings of work. This will be the first meeting between the teams.

MSU Billings is off to a 4-1 start, with wins over University of Mary and Hawaii Pacific (three times). The Yellow Jackets hold a .338 batting average and allow a .265 average, holding a 3.82 ERA in the circle, while opponents have a 6.62 ERA.

Four regulars in the lineup are hitting over .300, with Cailee Morgan leading the way with a .421 average, tallying eight hits, a triple and three RBI. Payton Reynolds has a .400 average with a double, a home run and seven RBI. Rylan Austin adds a .333 average, while Allie Hughes is at .308 with two home runs and four RBI. In the circle, Alyssa Etheridge has a 2.69 ERA with a 2-0 record in 13 innings worked. Maddy Lincoln has the other two wins on the season, to go along with a 4.12 ERA in 17 innings. This will be the first meeting between the teams.

To start the day on Friday, FLC will face Central Washington. The Wildcats are 2-1 with wins against Hawaii Hilo and Stanislaus State. They hold a .206 batting average and allow a .253 average, while in the circle they have a 5.95 ERA and opponents have just a 2.58 ERA.

Savannah Egbert leads the way with a .429 average, while Kayla Smith is second with a .286 average. In the circle, Lexie Strasser has just a 0.47 ERA with a 2-0 record in 15 innings. Next closest is Taylor Williams who has a 7.87 ERA in 2.2 innings worked. This will be the second time the teams have met, with the first coming back in 2013 as the Skyhawks claimed the 14-10 win at the Desert Stinger.

Western Washington will be the final game of the day on Friday. The Vikings are 1-2, with their win coming against Cal State Dominguez Hills. The team holds a .273 batting average and allows a .351 average, while in the circle they have a 5.73 ERA and opponents are at 4.30.

Jackie Lucido leads the way with a .571 batting average, while Cylie Richards is at .500 and three other players are tied with .286 averages. In the circle, Makinlee Sellevold has tossed 11 innings and has the one win on the season to go along with a 3.18 ERA. Western Washington holds a 2-1 edge in the series, although the Skyhawks won the last meeting in 2018, taking the 14-9 win at the Dixie State Tournament.

To close the tournament, FLC will face Northwest Nazarene on Saturday. The Nighthawks are 2-1 on the season with wins against then No. 10 Concordia Irvine and Minot State. Northwest Nazarene has a .244 batting average and opponents are at .313. In the circle, the Nighthawks have a 2.80 team ERA and opponents are at 4.20.

Kylie Orr leads the team with a .500 average, while Brittany Genuardi is at .444 and Anna Williams adds a .364 average, as both Genuardi and Williams have two home runs and five RBI. In the circle, Jordan Adams has tossed four innings to pick up a win and has a 0.00 ERA, Maia McNicoll is next with eight innings of work and the other win in the circle, to go along with a 1.75 ERA. The only meeting between the teams came last year at the Dixie State Tournament and the Skyhawks pulled out a wild 16-15 win in eight innings.

Live stats will be available for all five games, while live video will be available for the games against MSU Billings and Western Washington.
 
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Players Mentioned

Kaitlyn Barlow

#13 Kaitlyn Barlow

OF
5' 6"
Junior
R/R
Taylor Beaman

#17 Taylor Beaman

C/UT
5' 8"
Sophomore
R/R
Kelly Decker

#11 Kelly Decker

P
5' 8"
Junior
R/R
Angelique Elemen

#27 Angelique Elemen

UT
5' 7"
Senior
R/R
Pilar Gutierrez

#9 Pilar Gutierrez

SB
5' 7"
Sophomore
R/R
Kylie Hefley

#23 Kylie Hefley

OF
5' 3"
Sophomore
R/R
McKenna Hefley

#3 McKenna Hefley

C/UT
5' 3"
Sophomore
R/R
Mandy Lorenson

#1 Mandy Lorenson

P
5' 6"
Junior
R/R
Allison Young

#2 Allison Young

OF
5' 5"
Junior
L/R
Kelly Barr

#20 Kelly Barr

3B/1B
5' 10"
Freshman
R/R

Players Mentioned

Kaitlyn Barlow

#13 Kaitlyn Barlow

5' 6"
Junior
R/R
OF
Taylor Beaman

#17 Taylor Beaman

5' 8"
Sophomore
R/R
C/UT
Kelly Decker

#11 Kelly Decker

5' 8"
Junior
R/R
P
Angelique Elemen

#27 Angelique Elemen

5' 7"
Senior
R/R
UT
Pilar Gutierrez

#9 Pilar Gutierrez

5' 7"
Sophomore
R/R
SB
Kylie Hefley

#23 Kylie Hefley

5' 3"
Sophomore
R/R
OF
McKenna Hefley

#3 McKenna Hefley

5' 3"
Sophomore
R/R
C/UT
Mandy Lorenson

#1 Mandy Lorenson

5' 6"
Junior
R/R
P
Allison Young

#2 Allison Young

5' 5"
Junior
L/R
OF
Kelly Barr

#20 Kelly Barr

5' 10"
Freshman
R/R
3B/1B