Three times in four innings, Fort Lewis College left the bases loaded.
No. 4 Metro State took full advantage of the No. 8 Skyhawks’ inability to push runs across the board. Moments after the FLC softball team left the bases loaded in the top of the eighth inning, Mary Towner hit a walk-off solo home run with a full count and two outs in the bottom of the eighth to lift the Metro State Roadrunners to a 2-1 victory and the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament championship.
“It was a great game all around; you couldn’t of asked for a better championship game,” FLC head coach Kira Zeiter said.
FLC (26-29) entered Saturday as the last remaining unbeaten team in the double-elimination tournament. Metro State (32-15) had the tough task of winning three games in one day to claim the title, while FLC needed just one victory to win their second RMAC Tournament title since 2012.
It wasn’t to be for the Skyhawks.
The Roadrunners beat UC-Colorado Springs 9-7 to reach the championship round, and then Metro State beat FLC 13-2 in just five innings to force a decisive 15th game of the tournament.
Metro State struck first in the second championship game, with Towner driving Britney Thomas home with a single in the bottom of the first inning.
It took the Skyhawks until the top of the sixth inning to answer, when Myndee Thompson got a hold of a pitch for a solo homer.
Thompson’s blast came one inning after FLC left the bases loaded when Chelsea Rodriguez was robbed of extra bases by Metro State center fielder Colissa Bakovich, who made a diving catch on a well-hit ball.
“Give Metro State props for making spectacular plays on some of the balls we hit,” Zeiter said. “Bakovich got tournament MVP, and I think that says it all about the catch she made.”
FLC again left the bases loaded in the top of the seventh inning and in the eighth inning, even after two Roadrunners’ fielding errors. FLC stranded 12 runners on base in the game.
“We did a nice job of getting on base, but, in the game of softball, you need clutch hits. It easily could’ve gone our way, but it just didn’t,” Zeiter said. “As a coach, I was confident every time we went to the plate.”
Metro State quickly had runners on first and third base with no outs in the bottom of the eighth, but Dani Sandel was ruled out for leaving her base early, bailing FLC out of a serious jam. With the bases empty and two outs, Towner stepped to the plate and delivered the crushing blow to FLC when she homered over the left-field fence.
“Towner is a great hitter, no doubt about it. She is a good person, too,” Zeiter said. “She definitely did a nice job at the plate, and she usually does.”
Kiley Raica (10-13) took the loss in the circle for FLC despite a dominant effort. She pitched 7 2/3 innings and threw only 92 pitches while giving up two runs on six hits and three walks. She struck out two.
“I couldn’t of asked for a better performance from Kiley and (catcher) Hayley Bolyard; they did such a nice job of keeping Metro off balance,” Zeiter said. “Kiley gave everything she had.”
Cassidy Smith earned the win for Metro State in both games against FLC. She pitched 1 2/3 innings in relief of Aubree Maul in the final game, allowing two hits and one walk but no runs. Maul lasted 6 1/3 innings and gave up one run on seven hits and one walk while striking out three.
In the first game, Smith pitched a complete game and allowed two runs on 10 hits and no walks. She struck out one.
Victoria Johnson (11-12) took the loss in the first game. After picking up three wins in three games to start the tournament – with wins against No. 1 Colorado Mesa, Metro State and No. 6 UC-Colorado Springs – Johnson lasted only 1 1/3 innings while allowing five runs on five hits and one walk. Katie Watkins pitched 3 1/3 innings in relief and allowed eight runs on 12 hits while striking out one.
Metro State had 17 hits in five innings in the first game, while FLC only had two runs on 10 hits and left seven on base.
The Roadrunners took a 6-0 lead going to the bottom of the second inning and led 7-0 before FLC got on the board in the bottom of the third inning on a two-run home run by Rodriguez.
Metro State added six more runs in the top of the fifth inning, including back-to-back homers by Kaylynn Harmon and Towner, with Towner’s a three-run shot.
The last team in the field of eight, the Skyhawks ran through the first two days of competition, helping eliminate No. 1 Colorado Mesa on the first day before beating Metro State and UC-Colorado Springs to reach the championship round. The team never cared about its seed, but the Skyhawks were proud of their effort in the tournament and all season.
“I think we peaked at the correct time of the season. We came here and played great softball,” Zeiter said. “That only gives me good feelings about the outlook for next year. On the way out of the stadium, girls already were saying that we’ll be back here next year.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
RMAC Softball
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
All-Tournament Team
Colissa Bakovich, Metro State, MVP
Jessica Belsterling, UC-Colorado Springs
Carly DeLorenzo, Adams State
Missy Fundora, Fort Lewis
Victoria Johnson, Fort Lewis
Adriana Rosthenhausler, Fort Lewis
Cassidy Smith, Metro State
Kelsey Tillery, Metro State
Mary Towner, Metro State
Durango Herald
