The Fort Lewis College softball team won two out of four games this weekend against Black Hills State in Alamosa due to unplayable field conditions at both Aspen Field and the Aztec Tiger Softball Complex.
On Saturday, the Skyhawks (8-21, 3-13 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) went 1-1 as Kelly Decker pitched a complete game and Fort Lewis’ offense exploded and took game one 12-2 in five innings, but lost the second game, 5-4.
In the first game, the Yellow Jackets (9-12, 6-8 RMAC) got off to a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but Decker, who came into the matchup winless, pitched well after a nervy first, and gave up just three more hits the rest of the way.
In the bottom half of the first, McKenna Hefley singled to right-center field to bring in the first run of the game for FLC, and they would go on to add three more to make it 4-2 after one. In the second, they responded with eight. Julia Roberts smacked a double to deep right-center that drove in two. Kylie Hefley also had a good day at the plate, as she went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, including a double that gave FLC the lead for good. The Skyhawks were able to close it out with three shutout innings.
Decker got her first win of the season.
In the second game, Fort Lewis was unable to hold onto a 4-2 lead, as the Yellow Jackets scored three in the top half of the sixth. Fort Lewis took a 4-2 lead after Roberts hit a home run to deep center field. In the sixth, Black Hills drove in three after Dominique DiManna started the rally when she doubled and scored two, and the very next batter, Haley Franklin, singled and drove home DiManna to take a 5-4 lead.
The Skyhawks would threaten but would not score.
On Sunday, FLC jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first, after Pilar Gutierrez hit a grand slam to send the Skyhawks into a frenzy. Angelique Elemen would add an RBI in the third after she singled to center field and drove home Taylor Hollestel. Kylie Hefley drove home her sister, McKenna, with a double to left field to make it 6-0. FLC would add one more, and despite the Yellow Jackets scoring three times, Emily Morris picked up her third win (3-6) and shut the door, 7-3.
In the final game of the weekend, FLC had chances but were unable to score the game-tying run.
With the Yellow Jackets leading 2-0, Dana Dwyer tripled to left field, which scored Gutierrez, and the Skyhawks had the game-tying run just 60 feet away, but the next batter, Kylie Hefley, popped up to the shortstop to end the inning.
Black Hills added two insurance runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Despite a double, FLC could not get any closer and lost 4-1.
Fort Lewis will travel to Colorado Springs to play UCCS and Regis next Saturday and Sunday at UCCS Mountain Lion Field.
bploen@durangoherald.com
