Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 DURANGO, Colorado — The Fort Lewis College softball team made its 2020 debut at the friendly confines of Aspen Field, earning a split of Friday's doubleheader against Colorado Christian University to open the four-game series and a 12-game home stand.

Fort Lewis (10-10 overall, 7-3 RMAC) won Game One in thrilling fashion, walking off the RMAC leading Cougars (19-6 overall, 9-1 RMAC) in the bottom of the seventh on a two-run home run by junior McKenna Hefley that clinched a 3-1 victory.

Colorado Christian, the top hitting team in the RMAC in team average (.351), home runs (29) and RBI (192), bounced back to take Game Two by a 13-2 final, seven runs coming in the top of the seventh to blow open a close game up to that point.

In the series opener, the Skyhawks received a strong start from redshirt junior Mandy Lorenson as she evened her record at 3-3 on the season, pitching all seven innings and limiting a powerful Cougars lineup to one run on three hits while striking out five.

Lorenson worked out of a bases loaded, one out situation in the top of the sixth inning, recording back-to-back strikeouts of Jamie Romero and Kacie Burger — the RMAC leader in home runs with eight — to defuse the threat.

"Once you get that second out, it lets everybody breathe," said Fort Lewis head coach, Ashley Reeves. "Getting that strikeout was huge for us and for her and as soon as it happened, you could feel everyone exhale a little bit. Then she was able to come back and get that second strikeout."

FLC would capitalize on the momentum shift in the home-half of the seventh as junior outfielder Emily Morris punched a one-out single through the left-side, then trotted home on McKenna Hefley's two-run opposite field laser two batters later.

The home run was the first of the season for Hefley, who finished 2-for-4 in Game One. Freshman designated player Brianna Leavell also added a multi-hit game, finishing 2-for-4 with a RBI single that got the Skyhawks on the scoreboard originally back in the third inning.

The win for FLC snapped a nine-game winning streak for the Cougars and a 12-game skid for the Skyhawks against CCU dating back to March 5, 2016.

"To be honest, I just thought it was going to be a gapper and we were going to win on the runner scoring from first. But the ball wound up going over and it was a big swing for (Hefley) and our team," Reeves said. "To walk off the way that we did was huge and awesome for the girls."

As for Game Two, the Cougars were able to use a pair of big innings to even up the series with a 13-2 win in Friday's nightcap.

CCU scored four runs in the top of the first inning, two unearned, to capture momentum early.

The Skyhawks pulled within 5-2 in the bottom of the fourth inning on a two-run rocket to left from junior shortstop Julia Roberts — her third home run of the season — but CCU was able to answer back with a run in the fifth and a seven-run seventh inning to put the game away.

Senior utility player Taylor Hollestelle provided a pinch-hit single and Morris, a converted pitcher turned outfielder, finished 2-for-3 in Game Two to help pace the Skyhawks' lineup.

"They (Cougars) were disciplined at the plate, and what I told our girls was we lacked discipline that second game," Reeves said. "We got behind early and we've got to be a little more solid, defensively. The game got away from us, but we'll come tomorrow looking to win."

The four-game series resumes at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. Saturday at Aspen Field, with the Skyhawks looking to make it three straight series wins to open RMAC action.

"We knew Colorado Christian was going to be a tough team to beat and somebody who was going to come out and swing. That was expected," Reeves said. "But with how we played in Game One, we know we can win and it wasn't a fluke thing. We played solid softball the way the game is supposed to be played. Hopefully it'll take us into (Saturday) with the belief we can take the next two games. We're not looking to split tomorrow. We're looking to win."