The Fort Lewis College softball team was unable to pick up a second Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference win after the Skyhawks ended last weekend with a resounding 21-2 victory at Adams State in Alamosa.
The Skyhawks dropped both games in Friday’s doubleheader against Colorado Christian, held at Metropolitan State University Denver’s Auraria Field. FLC fell 13-1 in five innings in the opener and 6-4 in the second game.
In the first game, Fort Lewis gave up 13 runs on 16 hits, as every Cougar run crossed the plate in the first two innings. Colorado Christian (12-7, 6-2 RMAC) had four players double and another four who had two hits. Kendall Yasui went 3-for-4 with four runs batted in and got her team off to a fast start in the first inning. She opened the scoring with a double to left field, which scored Hanna Farmer to make it 1-0. The Cougars would bat around the lineup, and Yasui delivered again with a two-run single up the middle to make it 8-0.
In the second inning, trailing 9-0, Fort Lewis gave up another four runs, which included Yasui’s third hit of the day, and Shelby Fuisch hit a solo home run.
Fort Lewis (6-17, 1-9 RMAC) had just two hits, both from senior Angelique Elemen, who went 2-for-3 and chipped in the only run. Skyhawks pitcher Kelly Decker dropped to 0-7 on the season, while Colorado Christian’s Kenzie Mattey improved to 7-3.
In the second game, Fort Lewis climbed back from a deficit only to see its lead quickly evaporate. In the first inning, Colorado Christian’s Stephanie Day drove in the game’s first run with a fielder’s choice, as Yasui scored from third. In the fourth, pinch hitter Carly Perry drove in another run after she singled up the middle and scored Kacie Burger to make it 2-0.
The Skyhawks would respond in the fifth. Pilar Gutierrez got FLC on the board with a one-run single to right field that scored Elemen. The very next batter, Kaitlyn Barlow jacked a three-run home run to left field to make it 4-2.
In the bottom half of the inning, the Cougars would take the lead for good when they scored three runs. Day doubled and scored Yasui, and the next batter, Charlotte Romero, hit a two-run homer to right to make it 6-4. All three runs came with two outs.
In the seventh, FLC had a chance to tie with Elemen on base with a walk, but the Skyhawks were not able to drive her home and subsequently went down in order.
Elemen finished 3-for-3 with a run and a walk, while Barlow went 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Gutierrez also went 2-for-4.
The Skyhawks will end the series against the Cougars with a doubleheader at noon and 2 p.m. Saturday at UCCS Mountain Lion Field in Colorado Springs.
bploen@durangoherald.com
