The comfort of Fort Lewis College’s Aspen Field made all the difference for the Skyhawks softball team Friday and Saturday.
The Skyhawks came into the weekend on a 12-game losing streak, but some real home games were all they needed to turn their luck around. After poor field conditions forced previous home games to be played in Aztec, FLC finally took to Aspen Field on Friday and Saturday and swept Friday’s doubleheader against Colorado Christian, 5-3 and 13-5, before splitting Saturday’s action with another 13-5 win and a 14-8 loss in the finale.
The games were originally scheduled for Saturday and Sunday but were pushed up earlier in the week because of an ominous Sunday weather forecast.
The schedule change didn’t disturb the Skyhawks’ ace, however, as Victoria Johnson went the distance in Friday’s series opener. The senior struck out eight Cougars and allowed just three runs on eight hits.
Nikki Klepfer was 1-for-2 with two runs batted in. Klepfer’s fourth-inning double got the Skyhawks (6-19, 3-9 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) on the board after a slow start.
Denae Fisher’s two-run single in the fifth inning proved to be the game-winning hit. Fisher was 1-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored. Angelique Elemen provided an insurance run later in the inning with a triple that plated Fisher, and Johnson closed the door to snap a 12-game FLC skid.
In Friday’s second game, it was a string of four second-inning doubles that made the difference, as FLC posted seven runs to grab a big lead. The Skyhawks belted 19 hits and run ruled the Cougars 13-5 in six innings, as Rachel Foos got her first win of the season in the circle.
Missy Fundora was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate, and Lauren Caldwell was 3-for-4 with two runs scored.
Fort Lewis kept the momentum going Saturday, as the Skyhawks won their third consecutive game with 13-5 run rule win in game one.
FLC trailed 5-0 early, but the bats came alive in a four-run fourth inning that got the home team back in the game. Elemen’s fifth-inning, two-run home run gave FLC the lead and sparked a seven run fifth-inning that gave FLC complete control. The freshman catcher went 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs in Saturday’s opener.
The Cougars salvaged the finale with a 14-8 win. Fort Lewis jumped out to a 4-1 lead in search for the weekend sweep, but an eight-run third inning and a five-run fifth were too much for the Skyhawks to come back from.
Klepfer was 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs in the loss.
Fort Lewis will hit the road next weekend for a noon doubleheader at Black Hills State on Saturday and an 11 a.m. first pitch Sunday.
jfries@durangoherald.com
