One weekend doesn’t a season make.
But a rough weekend certainly didn’t help the Fort Lewis College softball team’s cause.
Off to a hot start at home and in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference this season, the Skyhawks dropped all four games played at home Saturday and Sunday, including a 10-1 setback in five innings to Regis University and a 7-2 loss to UC-Colorado Springs on Sunday at Aspen Field.
It was the first time the Skyhawks have been swept at home this season. On Saturday, FLC fell to UCCS 5-3 and Regis 6-5.
“The team played hard this weekend,” head coach Kira Zeiter said. “Even though the games did not go our way, playing good competition will only make us better for the rest of the season. We will see UCCS in a few weeks and most likely Regis in the conference tournament. This weekend shows us what we want to work on in the meantime.”
In Sunday’s opening game against the Rangers, Jeovanna Rios had FLC’s lone run batted in, scoring Missy Fundora on a single to second base. The run cut the Rangers’ lead to 2-1, but the Skyhawks were held scoreless the rest of the way and Regis plated eight more runs to run-rule FLC in five innings.
Fundora, Rios and Tristen Gilbert each had a hit, but those were the only hits of the game for FLC.
Victoria Johnson started the game in the circle, pitching 1.1 innings and allowing five runs (four earned) on five hits. Olivia Goldberg pitched the next three innings, surrendering five runs on six hits before Kiley Raica closed the game pitching the final two-thirds of an inning, allowing one hit.
In the weekend finale against UCCS, the Skyhawks scored first, tallying two runs in the bottom of the third inning. With Fundora and Denae Fisher on first and second, respectively, Kaitlyn Bending reached first on a fielder’s choice and advanced to second on a throwing error. Fisher advanced to third and scored on the throwing error for a 1-0 lead and Fundora scored the second run on Rios’ single to center field.
The Mountain Lions would tie the score at 2, then scored five runs in the final inning for the victory.
Raica pitched the first 6.1 innings, allowing four runs on six hits and fanning six. Johnson got one out, allowing three runs on two hits before Goldberg got the final out of the inning on a strikeout. FLC was blanked in its half of the inning.
Fort Lewis (11-15, 9-7 RMAC) will travel to Adams State University on Saturday and Sunday for a four-game series.
heraldsports@durangoherald.com
