The Fort Lewis College softball team got its first win since Feb. 16 on Sunday in Alamosa when it took down Adams State in the second game of a doubleheader in a 21-2, 5-inning thumping.
The Skyhawks (6-15, 1-7 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) also won their first conference game of the season, after going winless in its first seven tries.
Fort Lewis scored 13 runs in the first inning alone, as Taylor Hollestelle went 5-for-5 with two hits in the first inning, and her first of the day opened the scoring with an RBI double. She would finish just one hit shy of the cycle, as she hit three singles, a double and a 1-run home run. To top off her stellar day, she scored four runs and delivered four RBIs.
Senior Angelique Elemen added to an already record-breaking weekend, when she went 3-for-5 with three RBIs and two hits. She broke the all-time record for total bases on Saturday with her 374th. McKenna and Kylie Hefley combined to go 3-for-7 with two doubles and four RBIs between the two of them, and Kylie added the other home run for the Skyhawks as well.
The offensive awakening was much needed for FLC, after it had lost nine consecutive games and had been outscored 109-40 heading into the final game on Sunday.
The Skyhawks had dropped its three other games in Alamosa, after it lost both on Saturday, 12-10 and 15-7, in five innings, and lost the 11 a.m. game on Sunday 13-12.
Adams State (3-17, 3-5 RMAC) had a remarkable comeback in the first game against the Skyhawks on Sunday. FLC got off to a 10-0 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth, when the Grizzlies’ bats heated up. Adams State responded with all 13 of its runs in the final three innings, which included six in the fifth, two in the sixth and five in the bottom of the seventh – all of which came with two outs.
With the Skyhawks up 12-8 heading into the final frame, they quickly got two outs. The Grizzlies got on base and scored two off of FLC’s mistakes, after a fielding error by the third baseman scored one and a wild pitch scored another. Zoe Munn doubled to right-center field to make it a 1-run game. Then, with Munn in scoring position, sophomore Brittany Phillips delivered the game-winning two-run home run to deep center field to win it for the Grizzlies.
In Saturday’s first game, FLC climbed back from a six-run deficit and cut it to two after Kylie Hefley doubled to right-center field and scored her sister to make it 11-9. In the bottom half of the sixth, the Grizzlies hit a solo home run and their bullpen was able to close the Skyhawks out.
In Saturday afternoon’s matchup, errors got to Fort Lewis and the Grizzlies capitalized, scoring 13 runs on 10 hits, and four Skyhawk errors helped them get out to a 14-5 lead – 13 runs were scored in the bottom of the second. Despite McKenna Hefley hitting a two-run home run in the top of the fourth, Adams was able to get an RBI in the fifth to enforce the run rule.
Fort Lewis will look to extend its one-game winning streak next weekend with a trip to Lakewood against Colorado Christian at noon and 2 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Sunday.
bploen@durangoherald.com
