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Fort Lewis College Athletics

Scoreboard

McKenna Hefley 4.10
Bob Bonnar, FLC Athletics
FLC junior McKenna Hefley (#3) strides home after one of three home runs she hit during Saturday's doubleheader against New Mexico Highlands.
2
New Mexico Highlands NMSB 5-22
10
Winner Fort Lewis College FLCSB 11-16
New Mexico Highlands NMSB
5-22
2
Final
10
Fort Lewis College FLCSB
11-16
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
New Mexico Highlands NMSB 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 4 1
Fort Lewis College FLCSB 3 1 1 3 0 2 10 11 1

W: Leavell, Brianna (6-8) L: Samantha Gamboa (0-7)

5
New Mexico Highlands NMSB 5-23
7
Winner Fort Lewis College FLCSB 12-16
New Mexico Highlands NMSB
5-23
5
Final
7
Fort Lewis College FLCSB
12-16
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
New Mexico Highlands NMSB 2 0 0 3 0 0 0 5 8 1
Fort Lewis College FLCSB 0 0 0 3 2 2 X 7 10 1

W: Keahbone, Kendra (5-0) L: Nathalie Blattmann (3-12)

Game Recap: Softball | | David Wilson, Assistant AD-Communications

Skyhawks keep rolling, complete first four-game sweep since 2015

DURANGO, Colorado — The Fort Lewis College softball team kept its foot on the pedal Saturday, cranking out 17 more runs on 21 hits to complete its doubleheader and four-game series sweep of New Mexico Highlands University.

Fort Lewis collected wins of 10-2 and 7-5 over the visiting Cowgirls (5-23 overall, 5-23 RMAC), respectively, to notch its first four-game series sweep of an opponent since Feb. 20-21 in a home series against Black Hills State University.

"We definitely needed a home series like this. The girls were fired up and all the seniors were so excited, telling me that this was the first time they've swept an opponent here," said FLC head softball coach, Ashley Reeves. "It's hard to take four games from anybody, doesn't matter what team it is. That's a big accomplishment and I'm proud of our girls."
 
Game One

Junior catcher McKenna Hefley had a career afternoon for the Skyhawks. Hefley, Friday night's star after launching a walk-off Grand Slam in Game Two of yesterday's doubleheader, finished Saturday's Game One 3-for-3 with two runs scored, two home runs and a career-high six RBI.

At one point, the Las Vegas, Nevada native had homered in three straight plate appearances before roping a two-run single to left in her final plate appearance of the ballgame.

McKenna would add a three-run home run in Game Two on Saturday, giving her the staggering stat line of 7-for-13, five runs scored, four home runs and 14 RBI for the series.

"She's comfortable, she's confident and she's seeing the ball big right now," Reeves said of Hefley, who was issued an intentionally walk during her final at-bat of Saturday after wearing out the Cowgirls' pitching. "I couldn't be happy for her and for our team from the outcome of it. She's definitely the Player of the Week in my book, for sure. She was a threat every time she came up to the plate and it was awesome to see."

Her three-run shot in the bottom of the first got the FLC offense rolling early as the Skyhawks continued to pile on, receiving a RBI single from senior Shelby Hotchkiss in the second, a solo home run by McKenna Hefley in the third, and three more runs in the bottom of the fourth via a Hotchkiss double and two-run single by Hefley.

Kylie Hefley then put the bow on the Game One victory, driving a two-run home run out to left to end the ballgame in the sixth inning via the 8-run rule.

Hotchkiss finished 3-for-4 in Game One with two runs scored and two driven in, while Kylie Hefley added a pair of hits to help pace the FLC lineup.

Freshman pitcher Brianna Leavell (6-8 overall) picked up her third win over the weekend, going five strong innings and limiting NMHU to one run on three hits while striking out three, bumping her RMAC leading strikeout totals to 74 on the spring.

Senior left-hander Kassidy Trumbo worked the sixth inning, allowing just one unearned run and punching out a batter.

"We did a great job in Game One of scoring early and continuing to add on. Bri pitched great, kept us in the lead and our defense played well behind her," Reeves said. Then we got to have Kassidy got to come in and end it. It was great to get her some innings, give Bri some relief, and it was overall a really good team win."
 
Game Two

Much like Game One on Friday, the Skyhawks had to battle through some early adversity — and a 5-0 deficit — in the series finale, but stormed back with seven unanswered runs to complete the sweep, 7-5.

New Mexico Highlands struck for two runs in the first, then added three unearned runs in the top of the fourth, to build its 5-0 lead.

Fort Lewis answered right back in the home-half of the fourth on a three-run home run by McKenna Hefley; her third of the day, fourth of the series and sixth of the season.

The Skyhawks tied the game their next turn to bat when seniors Hannah Gondini and Hotchkiss executed a double steal. Gondini swiped home to make it a 5-4 ballgame and two batters later Leavell drove in Hotchkiss to pull FLC even at 5-5.

Gondini would give the Skyhawks the lead for good in the sixth with a RBI single through the left side of the infield, scoring pinch runner Azalea Moore from second. Gondini would trot home with FLC's seventh run one batter later via a throwing error by the Cowgirls.

In the pitcher's circle, senior Kendra Keahbone kept on rolling as she picked up her fifth win (5-0) of the season, going all seven innings and limiting NMHU to five runs, only two earned, on eight hits. She struck out five and walked just one.

Fort Lewis, which finished 8-4 during its 12 games in seven days stretch, will look to build off this weekend's momentum when it heads back on the road to face Metropolitan State University of Denver next Saturday and Sunday.

"Confidence in the batter's box, more than anything, is what we'll take away from this series," Reeves said. "Once we had those 21 days off, it took a little time for our bats to wake up. The girls know they can hit. Our defense and pitching has been solid and kept us in games all year. We have to outscore teams now and I think our confidence is now there."
 
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