It was a chilly start for the Fort Lewis College softball team Friday afternoon in St. George, Utah, but the Skyhawks broke in their gloves and kicked off the 2016 season regardless.
In 32-degree weather, Fort Lewis got behind early and never recovered in a 9-1 loss to No. 22 West Texas A&M.
Senior right fielder Kiley Raica’s fourth-inning bunt was FLC’s first hit of the season and the only one of the game. She later scored the team’s first run which came on a fielding error by West Texas A&M’s third-baseman.
Fort Lewis starting pitcher Victoria Johnson took the loss. The senior tossed 2 2/3 innings, gave up five hits and seven runs while striking out three. Of the seven runs the Skyhawks allowed, only two were earned as four errors doomed the team from the start.
“It’s a tough way to open the season, but we dug ourselves a hole early in the game with errors,” first-year head coach Elle Fracker said in a news release. “We need to be sharp, especially against quality opponents like West Texas A&M.”
The Skyhawks’ defense did Johnson no favors in the first inning as four unearned runs crossed the plate. Unfortunately, the second inning saw two more unearned runs score, putting FLC behind 6-0 in a hurry.
That was all West Texas A&M starting pitcher Kilee Halbert would need.
Halbert threw all five innings and gave up one run on one hit. She struck out four, walked one and the offense gave her a comfortable cushion. Ashley Hardin and Kylee Moore both hit home runs for the Lady Buffs (2-0) in the win.
Fort Lewis (0-1) will play two on Saturday, a 10 a.m. start against CSU-Pueblo and a 3 p.m. game with No. 13 Humboldt State.
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