The Skyhawks shed their jackets in the top of the fourth inning.
The softball game started to unravel once the sun showed itself after one full game and three innings of driving rain.
CSU-Pueblo scored three runs in the top of the fourth inning to tie Fort Lewis College at eight. The ThunderWolves then tacked on five runs in the top of the sixth to go up 13-8 and lock down a 14-10 victory to sweep a doubleheader Saturday at Aspen Field.
All five runs came with two outs after an error by FLC second baseman Myndee Thompson kept the inning alive.
“In that inning that I made errors, I felt bad because our pitchers were doing awesome,” Thompson said. “We gave them runs they shouldn’t have gotten.”
FLC (16-29, 14-20 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) cruised to an 8-2 lead through the game’s first two innings on the strength of three home runs.
Jeovanna Rios hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning to tie the game at 2, Mandy Owens blasted a solo shot in the second for a 3-2 FLC lead and Thompson hit a three-run home run to put the Skyhawks up 6-2. FLC batted around in the bottom of the second inning, scoring six runs.
“Our team has really good momentum,” Rios said. “As soon as somebody hits, everybody starts to hit really well.”
Kiley Raica started the second game for the Skyhawks, but Olivia Goldberg took the loss despite not allowing any earned runs.
Moriah Turney paced the CSU-Pueblo offense with four runs batted in.
The Skyhawks struggled out of the gate in Saturday’s opening game. CSU-Pueblo (25-21, 21-13 RMAC) jumped out to a 4-0 lead after the sixth inning and cruised to a 6-2 win.
Catcher Denae Fisher drove in one of FLC’s runs, and Owens, Thompson and Missy Fundora all had two hits.
Victoria Johnson took the loss for the Skyhawks after allowing four earned runs in her seven innings pitched.
Her counterpart, CSU-Pueblo’s Kelli Henry, was sharp, only allowing two runs in a complete-game win, striking out eight.
“I just don’t think that we came out with the fire as much as in the second game,” Thompson said of Game 1.
With two games left in FLC’s regular season, seven of the eight spots in the RMAC Tournament have been clinched. FLC would have to win its last two games and receive a lot of help to qualify for the postseason.
“At this point it’s just getting in,” Thompson said.
kgrabowski@durangoherald.com
