A play at the plate and a timely home run helped the Fort Lewis College softball team split its four-game series at Regis University over the weekend.
In Game 1 of the series, Kayla Stone doubled to lead off the seventh inning for FLC and later scored on an infield ground out to tie the game, 4-4. A bases-loaded error by Fort Lewis, however, allowed the Rangers to walk off the game 5-4.
In Game 2 another error cost FLC early, but a defensive play in the seventh inning preserved a 6-5 win for FLC. The Skyhawks took the lead in the fifth when Izzy Giroux singled home two runs. In the bottom of the seventh, Regis got the tying run in scoring position after Hanah Sisul walked and advanced on a bunt. Megan Clark then singled up the middle with two outs and Sisul rounded third and tried to score. FLC center fielder Alyssa Gutierrez, however, threw a strike home to catcher Sloan Shotten and Shotten tagged Sisul out at the plate to end the contest with FLC on top.
On Sunday in Game 3, neither team managed to score in the first seven innings so the game went into extras. Shotten hit a leadoff single in the top of the eighth and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from Alex Tenorio. Catheryn Rodman then supplied the heroics, blasting a two-run home run over the left field fence.
Aimee Shanks then threw a scoreless eighth to get her seventh win on the year with a complete game on the mound.
Regis, however, hit two solo home runs to start Game 4 and eventually won the contest, 6-0, to split the series 2-2 with FLC.
Fort Lewis is now 10-17 overall and 8-12 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference while Regis moved to 16-14, 13-7. Next, FLC will take on Metropolitan State University Denver (23-8, 19-1) on Friday and Saturday in Denver.
The Fort Lewis College men's and women's outdoor track teams opened the 2023 season on Saturday at the Dr. Dan Caprioglio Early Bird Invite in Pueblo, racking up 28 personal bests and breaking a pair of program records to highlight the day.
In the men’s 5K, freshman Bean Minor finished first in a school-record time of 14:36.56 (converted from 14:59.51).
Katie Fankhouser also broke the school record in the 1,500 meters with a time of 4:29.26 (converted from 4:35.05), smashing the previous record of 4:52.37.
Brady Burrough led FLC men in the 800 (third, 1:54.64), Stephen Windsor led the team in the 1,500 (34th, 4:22.74) and Ricardo Trejo was the first Skyhawk to finish in the 10,000 (eighth, 31:54.11).
Angel Curley led the FLC women in the 800 (ninth, 2:24.63), Taylor Murphy led the women in the 5,000 (seventh, 19:03.47) and Esther Beck was the top finisher in the 10,000 (fourth, 38:30.35), finishing just ahead of Brandy Ray (fifth, 38:38.74) and Carmella Wright (sixth, 38:41.03).
FLC will next race on Friday at the Willy Williams Classic, hosted by the University of Arizona.
The Fort Lewis College women's lacrosse team wrapped up the neutral site portion of its season on Saturday, falling in a 15-7 final to Rockhurst University on the campus of CSU Pueblo.
The Skyhawks (0-5, 0-2 RMAC) tallied a season-high 28 shots while its defense held the Hawks to 30 for the game – the second lowest opponent shot total of the season. FLC also established a season-high 10 caused turnovers in the game.
Haley Dostie led the team with three goals on 11 shots. Ellie Martinez followed with two goals while Autumn Rymerson and Mikki Brown each scored once.
Dostie’s second goal cut Rockhurt’s lead to 8-5 early in the third, but the Hawks responded with four goals in the period to pull away.
FLC will head to Arizona this week to take on Arizona State University on Friday, Grand Canyon University on Saturday and the University of Arizona on Sunday.
The Fort Lewis College women's golf team took home a 12th-place finish as a team while Kendal Gutierrez had the highest overall finish for the Skyhawks, tieing for 40th at The Pack Classic at Walking Stick Golf Course in Pueblo.
Colorado Christian University captured the team title, edging out the host Colorado State University-Pueblo with a 598 team score. Individually, CSU Pueblo's Minna Archer and Kylie Severin tied for first at 146.
Gutierrez led Fort Lewis, finishing tied for 40th with a 157 (+13) while Emma Tornroos finished 44th with a 158 (+14).
The FLC men's team was also in Pueblo on Monday and Tuesday, competing in the Southern Colorado Masters at the Pueblo Country Club. Results weren’t available at press time.
Next, both teams will travel to Goodyear, Arizona, for the Ruidoso Junior Golf Association Palm Valley Classic on March 31-April 1.
