CHADRON – The Chadron State College softball team rallied to score runs in the late innings and made them stand up in both of its games to earn victories against the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs Sunday afternoon.
The Eagles scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to upend UCCS 5-4 in the first game before scoring four runs in the bottom of the fifth in a 4-1 win in the series finale.
CSC took 3 out of 4 in the weekend series with Colorado Springs…dropping the first game Saturday 12-2 before coming back to win the second 5-0. The Eagles, now 6-7 overall and 5-3 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference,will host the University of Nebraska-Kearney in a non-conference doubleheader Wednesday. First pitch is set for noon.
In the opening game Sunday, UCCS pitcher Becca Smith was cruising…giving up just 3 hits with 8 strikeouts and no walks…with the Eagles rallied with 1 out in the bottom of the 6th with 6 straight hits.
Amy Schartz got things going a solo home run to left, Rebecca Wetsch followed with a double to right and Caity Pelayo moved pinch runner Amanda Einspahr to 3rd with a single. Jessica Eatmon, in to run for Pelayo, stole 2nd, then Shea Graham plated both runners with another single to make it 4-3 and took 2nd on a throw home.
Ashlynn Marino continued the hit parade with a single up the middle that brought in Graham to tie the game and send Smith to the showers. Jessica Belsterling came in and promptly gave up and RBI single by Danielle L’Argent that put the Eagles on top 5-4. Belsterling got a double play to end the inning, but the damage was done.
CSC pitcher Aryn Grywusiewicz, who flirted with disaster all game, walked 2 runners in the top of the 7th but struck out pinch hitter Dani Fonseca to end the game. Gruwusiewicz gave up 11 hits and walked 6 while striking out 5, but stranded 13 runners to get the complete game victory.
In the second game, UCCS scored an unearned run on no hits and 2 errors in the top of the 1st and threatened repeated through most of the game as CSC pitcher Kylee Polsley gave up 5 hits and walked 4, but Polsley…backed by a pair of double plays on line drives to infielders stranded 8 in winning her 3rd straight. She gave up no earned runs in any of them.
The Eagles’ offense took a while to get going against Belsterling…with just one hit through 4 innings…but then used timely hitting and small ball in the decisive bottom of the 5th.
Wetsch led off with a single and was replaced by pinch runner Caroline Johnson, Jessica Eatmon followed with a sacrifice bunt that she beat out for a single, and Marino sacrificed them to 2nd and 3rd.
The Eagles then executed a suicide squeeze with Rebekah Anthony laying down a perfect bunt…scoring Johnson and reaching 1st herself without a throw.
A wild pitch brought Eatmon home, Graham…pinch hitting for Einspahr…walked with Einspahr back in to run, and a sacrifice by Nikki Ritzen put the runners on 2nd and 3rd. Katie Londo then hit a chopper over 3rd that scored them both.
UCCS threatened to take the lead right back, loading the bases with 1 out in the 6th, but Einspahr snared a line drive behind the pitchers circle and doubled the runner off 1st. Polsley then had a 1-2-3 on 2 ground outs and a fly out to close out the victory
Box Score 1 | Box Score 2