PUEBLO, Colo. (March 20, 2016) — On a weekend that saw Cinderella teams own March Madness, the Colorado State-Pueblo softball team nearly pulled off an upset of its own Sunday in game two of a doubleheader with Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference leaders, Colorado Mesa University.
After losing 13-2 in game one, the Pack (6-23 overall, 5-13 RMAC) put together a solid performance in game two, forcing a 12-inning affair with the Mavericks (18-7 overall, 17-1 RMAC) before eventually falling, 7-4.
CSU-Pueblo snatched a quick 1-0 lead in the home-half of the first inning on a line drive home run to left center by senior Dora Hernandez (Benton City, Wash.). The solo shot was the first home run of the season for Hernandez, who also added a single in game two to go 2-for-5 at the plate.
The ThunderWolves padded their early lead in the second inning, this time by manufacturing a run as Alyssa Ubrun (Olympia, Wash.) drew a one-out walk, advanced to third on a single by freshman Shelby Bennett (Norco, Calif.), and came home to score on an infield RBI single from junior Nicole Montoya (Pueblo, Colo.). Bennett and Montoya each finished with two hits in game two.
In the circle, Madison Wolfe (Oxnard, Calif.) was sharp early as she owned a no-hitter through three innings and held Colorado Mesa scoreless through four. The senior went six innings, allowed three runs on six hits, and struck out five in her no-decision.
The Mavericks got on the scoreboard in the fifth and took their first lead at 3-2 in the top of the sixth following a two-run home run by Zoe Pakes.CSU-Pueblo would not go away quietly as it rallied to tie the game twice in the sixth and seventh innings.
Down 3-2 in the sixth, Ubrun delivered an RBI single that scored freshman Jordan Sheard (Broomfield, Colo.), who had pinch ran for Kennedy Smith (Fillmore, Calif.) In the seventh, trailing 4-3, the Pack took advantage of two errors by Colorado Mesa — the Mavericks committed five in the game — and a wild pitch that allowed junior Moriah Turney (Brighton, Colo) to scamper home with the tying run from third base.
The two teams remained deadlocked at 4-4 the next four innings before the Mavericks pulled away following a three-run 12th inning, which consisted of one hit for Colorado Mesa, but an error and four walks issued by Pack pitching.
Big innings were the Achilles' hill Sunday for the Pack, who had game one against the Mavericks slip away from them following a five-run third inning and a seven-run seventh inning that skewed the 13-2 final score.
CSU-Pueblo tallied its two runs in the sixth on a towering two-run homerun by Wolfe, giving her five long balls on the season. She upped her team-leading RBI total to 24.
Turney and Hernandez each finished 2-for-3 at the plate in game one for the Pack. Junior Lexie Martindale (Pueblo, Colo.) was 1-for-3 and scored a run on Wolfe's homerun to round out the Pack's offense.
CSU-Pueblo will look to bounce back in Monday's doubleheader against Colorado Mesa to conclude the four-game series. Game start times are scheduled for 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Rawlings Softball Complex.
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As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, Colorado State University – Pueblo competes in 22 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.
