Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Fort Lewis College Athletics

Scoreboard

McKenna Hefley 4.2
Eric Mason, UCCS Athletics
FLC junior McKenna Hefley (#3) drove in 3 runs and hit her first home run of 2021 during Friday's doubleheader against UCCS.
4
Winner Fort Lewis FLC 5-12, 5-8 RMAC
3
UC-Colo. Spgs. UCCS 11-12, 10-9 RMAC
Winner
Fort Lewis FLC
5-12, 5-8 RMAC
4
Final
3
UC-Colo. Spgs. UCCS
11-12, 10-9 RMAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Fort Lewis FLC 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 4 8 1
UC-Colo. Spgs. UCCS 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 3 5 0

W: Leavell, Brianna (3-5) L: G. Cronin (3-4)

2
Fort Lewis FLC 5-13, 5-9 RMAC
3
Winner UC-Colo. Spgs. UCCS 12-12, 11-9 RMAC
Fort Lewis FLC
5-13, 5-9 RMAC
2
Final
3
UC-Colo. Spgs. UCCS
12-12, 11-9 RMAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Fort Lewis FLC 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 6 0
UC-Colo. Spgs. UCCS 1 2 0 0 0 0 X 3 8 1

W: L. Rayburn (4-2) L: Lorenson, Mandy (0-7) S: C. Duffey ()

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

Skyhawks earn Friday split to open road series against UCCS

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado — The Fort Lewis College softball team played a pair of one-run ballgames on Friday, earning a road split against the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs to open a four-game series.

Fort Lewis (5-13 overall, 5-9 RMAC) erased a 3-0 deficit in Game One, putting together two-run sixth and seventh innings to storm back from a 4-3 victory.

"It was a big win and I was proud of the girls for continuing to fight and manufacturing some runs," said FLC head softball coach, Ashley Reeves. "We did a great job of putting the ball in play and just passing the baton."

The Skyhawks, facing an early 3-1 deficit in Game Two, nearly complete a second comeback, but had it come up just shy in the nightcap as the Mountain Lions (12-12 overall, 11-9 RMAC) held on for a 3-2 final.
 
Game One

The top third of the Skyhawks' batting order shined in Friday's opener as junior Kylie Hefley, junior McKenna Hefley and freshman Brianna Leavell combined to go 4-for-11 with two runs scored and four RBI in FLC's come-from-behind victory.

Trailing 3-0 entering the top of the sixth, Kylie Hefley drilled her third home run of the spring — a one-out shot to deep center — to get the Skyhawks on the scoreboard. Two batters later, Leavell followed with her first of two home runs on the day to help FLC pull within one at 3-2.

Fort Lewis would take the lead for good in the top of the seventh as singled from juniors Taylor Beaman, Azalea Moore and Kylie Hefley set the table for McKenna Hefley to play hero.

Down to their last out, the Skyhawks' third baseman roped a two-out, two-run single through the left side to score Moore and pinch-runner Hannah Rutherford, giving FLC a 4-3 lead.

"We've talked all week about competing and wanting it more. That's exactly what I saw from McKenna. She competed," Reeves said. "She wanted to win the game for us and she did it. I was really proud of her."

Leavell worked a clean 1-2-3 seventh inning to slam the door on UCCS and earn her third win of the season. The freshman right-hander limited the Mountain Lions to three runs on five hits, didn't walk a batter, and struck out a career-high 10 hitters; topping her previous career-high of nine set earlier this season against Adams State University (March 6).

"I think she was just relaxed. For us, we don't really focus on going after strikeouts. We try to pitch to contact, but Bri's ball was really moving (Friday)," Reeves said. "She was hitting her spots and did a really nice job for us."

Senior second baseman Pilar Gutierrez added a hit and Beaman finished 2-for-3 to help lead the FLC offense.
 
Game Two

McKenna Hefley picked up where she left off for the Skyhawks as she launched her first home run of the season to give FLC an early 1-0 lead with one out in the top of the first.

UCCS answer with a home run of its own in the home-half of the inning, then added two runs in the bottom of the second to take a 3-1 advantage.

The Skyhawks inched back within a run in the top of the third when Leavell hammered her second home run of the day, and team-leading sixth long ball of the season, to make it a 3-2 game.

Leavell finished 3-for-3 in Game Two and 4-of-7 between the two games Friday, upping her team leads in batting average (.365), slugging percentage (.769), home runs (6) and runs batted in (15) entering Saturday's doubleheader.

Unfortunately, the Skyhawks were unable to tie or take the lead over the game's final four innings. FLC puts runners on base in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings — including runners on second and third with one out in the fifth — but had a double-play end the scoring threat.

"It was nice to see us come out early, getting those two runs from Bri and McKenna, but then our offense kind of shut down. We had opportunity to manufacture runs, like in that fifth inning with runners on second and third, but we popped into a double-play," Reeves said. "That was a huge inning and one where we have to score runs. That was definitely the determining factor of the game right there. We've got to do a little better when it comes to the little things."

In the pitcher's circle, senior right-hander Mandy Lorenson worked four innings, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out three.

Fellow senior Kendra Keahbone worked two scoreless innings, limiting UCCS to two hits and striking out three to lower her team-leading ERA down to 3.39.

Fort Lewis and UCCS will conclude the four-game series on Saturday, with game times scheduled for 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Mountain Lion Field.

"I'm confident in our team that we win the series and get it done tomorrow. We just have to have confidence in ourselves and play more like we did at the end of Game One," Reeves said. "If we continue to hit like that, we can do big things. I feel like, if we can manufacture runs (Saturday), we can win two games. If we don't, then it's a coin toss."
 
Print Friendly Version