Two days after a humbling 20-4 loss to No. 2 Lindenwood, the Fort Lewis women’s lacrosse team bounced back and took its frustration out on Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference foe Oklahoma Baptist.
The Skyhawks (2-3, 2-1 RMAC) set the tone early and jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead on the Bison (2-4, 0-2 RMAC) from Shawnee, Oklahoma, and remained relentless for the duration, as FLC cruised to a 16-4 win.
Taylor Cabrera and Sammy Delli led the Fort Lewis attack with three goals each. Delaney Benson, Nikki Fry, Brooke Galle and Shelby Madden each scored twice in the win.
Cabrera’s goal just 37 seconds into the contest sparked a strong start for Fort Lewis. Galle and Benson added goals of their own shortly after, and FLC was off to a 3-0 lead less than 7 minutes into the action.
The Skyhawks controlled possession for the majority of the opening half, as they fired 20 shots at the Bisons’ net while the opponents launched just nine at FLC goalie Alyssa Spencer.
Benson added another goal, along with Fry, Madden and Alyssa Montoya to give Fort Lewis a 7-2 halftime lead.
The second half was more of the same for FLC, as Galle tallied a free position shot goal in the opening minute to extend the lead and set the tone for another dominant half.
Sammy Delli followed up with two goals in 53 seconds to give FLC an eight-goal cushion.
Cabrera’s back-to-back goals capped off a run of seven unanswered for Fort Lewis and gave her the hat trick on the day.
Delli added a third goal late in the second half to give her a hat trick in the final 30 minutes alone.
Spencer made 11 saves for FLC, and Megan Longtain grabbed a team-high nine ground balls. The Skyhawks fired off 42 shots in the game, while Oklahoma Baptist had just 20.
The Skyhawks will need to keep up the solid play at home if they hope to beat undefeated Regis at noon Sunday, March 26.
The Rangers (6-0, 3-0 RMAC) have outscored opponents 38-3 in their last two games. One of those games ended in a 19-1 victory against Oklahoma Baptist.
Softball
SoftballThe Fort Lewis softball team took a big step in the right direction Saturday in a doubleheader against Regis.
The Skyhawks (2-21, 1-13 RMAC) received a fine pitching performance out of Olivia Goldberg, but lost the first game 2-1.
However, Kelly Decker also threw a gem in Game 2, and the offense delivered. The result was a 9-2 FLC win that snapped a 19-game losing streak.
Goldberg threw 6 2-3 innings innings in the loss at the team’s temporary home in Aztec. She allowed four hits and one earned run. Gianna Melaragno’s seventh-inning home run was all the offense FLC could muster up in the one-run loss.
Though Decker walked 11 Rangers (15-15, 7-7 RMAC) and gave up seven hits, she pitched out of trouble nicely in Game 2 while the offense came alive.
Mandy Owens belted two home runs and finished with four runs batted in. Her two-run, second-inning blast gave the Skyhawks a 3-1 lead and ignited the offense.
Lauren Caldwell added two-run single to make it 5-1 in the third inning. Tristen Gilbert followed with a solo home run and finished the game 2-for-3 with two runs scored.
Owens’ second home run and Adriana Rosthenhausler’s solo blast finished the job in the 9-2 win.
The Skyhawks will try to build off of Saturday’s positive play in another doubleheader Sunday against Regis. Game 1 is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. at Aztec Tiger Sports Complex.
jfries@durangoherald.com
