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Shelby Hotchkiss 4.30
Bob Bonnar, FLC Athletics
FLC senior Shelby Hotchkiss went 3-for-4 with three doubles in Friday's Game One win over Regis (File Photo).
7
Winner Fort Lewis College FLCSB 17-20, 17-16 RMAC
0
Regis (CO) RUSB 14-11, 11-10 RMAC
Winner
Fort Lewis College FLCSB
17-20, 17-16 RMAC
7
Final
0
Regis (CO) RUSB
14-11, 11-10 RMAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Fort Lewis College FLCSB 5 0 1 0 0 0 1 7 10 0
Regis (CO) RUSB 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 4

W: Leavell, Brianna (8-10) L: Taylor Armitage (8-3)

4
Winner Fort Lewis College FLCSB 18-20, 18-16 RMAC
3
Regis (CO) RUSB 14-12, 11-11 RMAC
Winner
Fort Lewis College FLCSB
18-20, 18-16 RMAC
4
Final
3
Regis (CO) RUSB
14-12, 11-11 RMAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Fort Lewis College FLCSB 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 4 6 1
Regis (CO) RUSB 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 3 10 2

W: Keahbone, Kendra (8-2) L: Abby Covington (0-2) S: Leavell, Brianna (1)

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

Skyhawks sweep Friday doubleheader, pick up crucial road wins against Regis

DENVER, Colorado — Friday's road doubleheader against Regis University were not the proverbial "must-win" games for the Fort Lewis College softball team. But they were close.

With a four-game home series against RMAC leaders and No. 16 ranked Colorado Mesa University on deck for next weekend, and the Skyhawks locked in a three-way battle between Regis and Colorado State University Pueblo for spots in the RMAC Tournament, FLC was pedal down from opening pitch Friday as it swept the doubleheader against the Rangers, 7-0 and 4-3.

"It was great we came out swinging. We worked all week on being aggressive and we did a really great job of that in the first inning of Game One, especially," said FLC head softball coach Ashley Reeves, eluding to a 5-run first inning FLC had to open Friday's play. "We put the ball in play, put pressure on the defense all day and I'm really proud of the girls for coming out like they did. These were huge wins for us."
 
Game One

The Skyhawks (18-20 overall, 18-16 RMAC), now winners of six straight after sweeping Black Hills State University last weekend, could not have scripted a better start to Friday's Game One as they hung five runs on the Rangers (14-12 overall, 11-11 RMAC).

FLC got after Regis starter Taylor Armitage, who entered the ballgame with an 8-2 record on the season, by taking advantage of three hits, a walk and two errors in the inning by the Rangers.

"An inning like that fires you up, gets you going and sets you up for the rest of the game," Reeves said.

The Skyhawks' offense would finish Game One with 10 hits, led by senior outfielder Shelby Hotchkiss as she went 3-for-4 — all three hits being doubles — while scoring two runs and driving in two out of the leadoff spot.

Hotchkiss got the first inning started with a bang, roping a leadoff double down the line in left and scoring three batters later via the RBI single by McKenna Hefley.

"Shelby was seeing the ball well, she was being aggressive in the box and that's what can happen," Reeves said of Hotchkiss. "I was proud of her for being aggressive and the outcomes speak for themselves."

Fort Lewis added insurance runs in the third and seventh innings, one on a RBI single from junior Kylie Hefley and a RBI groundout by Hotchkiss. It was more than enough run support for FLC freshman pitcher Brianna Leavell, who was dominating in her complete-game performance.

Leavell tied her career-high with 11 strikeouts, limiting Regis to just four hits and not walking a batter en route to earning her eighth win of 2021.
"(Pitching coach) Chris Wiman had our pitchers working on busting hitters inside this week during practice and being strategic about when we went outside. Bri stuck to the plan and did a great job with it," Reeves said. "She executed what we worked on all week."
 
Game Two

Fort Lewis used another big inning to create all the separation it'd need in Game Two, plating four runs in the top of the third inning in a 4-3 victory.

Kylie Hefley and freshman infielder Jadyn Gilley did the heavy lifting as the duo each hit two-run home runs to left in the inning.

Hefley's one-out home run gave her a career-high six long balls on the season, while Gilley's two-out shot was her fifth home run in just 68 at-bats as she continues to carve out an everyday role for the Skyhawks in the second half of the spring.

"Kylie struggled a little bit that first game, got a little bit of work in-between games, and came out back ready in Game Two and hit the ball hard," Reeves said. "Jadyn's home run was just another great swing. It was a fun inning to watch."

The Skyhawks maintained that 4-0 lead through five innings as senior right-hander Kendra Keahbone continued her stellar spring, going 5.1 innings and limiting Regis to two runs on eight hits and striking out five. She improved to 8-2 overall on the season with the victory.

She gave way to Leavell in the sixth, after the Rangers trimmed the deficit to 4-2, but Leavell slammed the door as she struck out three in her 1.2 innings of relief to pick up her first career save.

"I'm proud of us for buckling down and getting that win. We've come from behind a few times this year, but it's a little different situation trying to close out a tight game like that," Reeves said. "There was definitely some pressure in the seventh, we were at the top of their lineup, but Bri did a good job and got us three outs."

Fort Lewis currently sits in the sixth and final playoff spot for the RMAC Tournament entering play on Saturday, in a dead heat with CSU Pueblo and ahead of the Rangers. So while the two wins on Friday were crucial, Reeves said the team is focused on getting back to work Saturday when the series resumes at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. up in Denver.

"The girls know that (Saturday) is a big day for us," Reeves said. "We took care of today and now we need to take care of tomorrow. We need to come out and win two more games tomorrow and they're definitely out there for us to take."
 
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