The Ignacio High School girls soccer team won their 2022 season-opener at home on Tuesday afternoon, defeating Del Norte 8-2. Sophomore Darlyn Mendoza-Lechuga and junior Laci Brunson both got hat tricks in the win while senior Alexis Pontine scored twice after recording a hatter against the Lady Tigers last season.
Junior Harmony Reynolds earned the win in net for IHS, though DNHS junior Samara Mejia beat her once in each half to prevent a shutout.
Ignacio led 3-1 at intermission, but broke the game wide open with four goals in roughly 10-minute span early in the second half, after the Lady Tigers (0-2, 0-1) – who welcomed in mothballed Center's players this spring to help bolster their roster – played a much-improved eight minutes.
The Durango High School baseball team played a pair of games Saturday in Montrose to begin its season, but lost both. DHS fell 6-4 to Summit and then lost to county rival Bayfield, 12-1.
DHS senior Matt Pane smacked a home run against Summit, but the Tigers scored five runs in the second to grab a 5-2 lead. Durango came back and scored once in the third and once in the fourth to cut the lead to one but was unable to finish closing the gap.
Jordan Stanley, Tagert Bardin and Michael Benner also scored in the loss.
Against Bayfield, the Wolverines scored five runs in the second inning and five in the sixth to win comfortably. Nic Twedt, Caden Wood and Isaac Ross each scored twice for BHS while Brady Hansen scored Durango’s lone run.
Playing in its first home game of the season, the Fort Lewis College women's lacrosse team saw a late lead slip away in an 11-8 loss to McKendree University on Sunday.
Sophomore Caprietta Abbadessa led the Skyhawks with three goals. Ellie Martinez scored two goals and led the way with four ground balls. Sophomore Haley Dostie notched two goals. Junior Averi Basso collected 15 saves between the pipes.
McKendree led 3-2 after the first quarter, but second-period goals from Martinez, Abbadessa and Dostie helped FLC go into halftime tied, 5-5.
Fort Lewis took its first lead in the third quarter with a Martinez goal and held a 7-6 advantage entering the fourth.
After McKendree reclaimed the lead, Abbadessa flicked in a man-up goal to tie it at 8-8. The Bearcats, however, scored the game’s last three goals.
FLC then took on Rockhurst University at a neutral field in Pueblo Tuesday, but came up short, 19-2.
The Fort Lewis College softball struggled against Colorado Mesa and got swept by the Mavericks in their four-game series. Mesa won 8-1 and 11-3 on Saturday and then won Sunday’s games 17-0 and 9-1.
Joel Priest contributed to this report
