PUEBLO, Colo. (May 1, 2019) - The Colorado State University-Pueblo softball team will make its return in to the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament for the 17th time in program history when the first round begins Thursday at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, Colo. The Pack will play against host-CMU at 3:15 p.m. at CMU Softball Field.

The ThunderWolves clinched the 8-seed in the tournament on the final day of the regular season last week at Colorado School of Mines. The teams split their four-game series, and the Pack received help from other series' around the league to secure their spot.

On day one at Mines, Samantha Riesen (Jr., Independence, Calif.) tossed 9.0 innings and gave up three runs against CSM. Holding a one-run lead going to the bottom of the ninth, Riesen allowed two hits before slamming the door on the Orediggers with a groundout to shortstop, giving the Pack a 4-3 win. Riesen improved her record to 4-8 on the year.

Pack pitcher Hannah Anderson (R-Jr., Spokane, Wash.) pitched a complete game shutout in game one Sunday to pace the ThunderWolves. Anderson scattered five hits and issued three walks.

Setting the Stage
For the fourth straight year Colorado Mesa will host the conference tournament after clinching the regular season crown. The Mavericks swept last week's RMAC Pod Weekend series in Lakewood, Colo., winning all four games. The Mavericks came from 3-1 deficits in both games against the host Colorado Christian University, clinching the RMAC title with the 4-3 win in the first game on Friday.

The Mavericks also defeated New Mexico Highlands twice in between. CMU has now won five straight and 27 of their last 28 games overall.

All-Time vs. Colorado Mesa
The ThunderWolves are 1-10 in the last eleven games against Colorado Mesa. The Pack's last win against CMU came in this same RMAC Tournament on April 30, 2016. CSU-Pueblo knocked out the Mavericks, 6-3, in an elimination game played at CMU Softball Field. 

LIVE STATS

Live stats links for all games this weekend can be found on the ThunderWolves' schedule page.

FOLLOW THE THUNDERWOLVES

Twitter - @gothunderwolves / @CSUPsoftball

Facebook - @CSU-Pueblo Athletics / @CSU-Pueblo softball

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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.