ALAMOSA—Even though the weather may have been playable on Saturday, the early decision to move the Adams State University softball four-game series to Sunday and Monday was a smart one as the Grizzlies used the extra day and put their confidence to work as they defeated the Colorado School of Mines Orediggers in the opening game 7-5 before the Orediggers rebounded and earned a 9-2 win in the second day.
The clouds that moved in and out of the San Luis Valley didn't faze the Grizzlies as they jumped up and took an early lead in the first game.
The Grizzlies opened the game by scoring the opening run in the bottom of the first inning. With two outs, a line by
Mackenzie Villarreal was dropped by the right fielder allowing
Marissa Harmon and
Gabrielle Griego to nail solid singles and move Villarreal around the bases and across the plate.
A solo home run in the top of the second inning tied the game at one.
Adams State rallied back and scored two runs in the bottom of the second inning as
Tyler Hays nailed a two-run double to center field to score
Paige Reichmuth and
Alexandria Quintana, all with two outs.
The lead was short-lived again, however, as the Orediggers rallied back and scored two runs on a two-run single with one of the runs being unearned.
Once again, the Grizzlies scored two runs on a Reichmuth single to score Quintana and
April Riggins. With the lead 5-3 entering the fourth inning. The pitchers finally had a clean inning as a scoreless fourth inning made way to the game being tied at five on a two-run homer.
The Grizzlies recaptured the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning as
Kaytlynn Johnson, who had one hit entering Sunday's games, notched a double to right center to score
Sheridan VanHoose for the eventual game-winner.
In the bottom of the sixth inning,
Kalin Johnson electrified the crowd as she nailed a hard ball down the right field line. Her speed caught the Orediggers off guard and she was able to race around the bases for an inside-the-park home run.
Lauren Murphy, who pitched the complete game and allowed four earned runs on nine hits and struck out eight of the 31 batters she faced, closed out the game with two solid innings. She evened her win loss record at 8-8 while Maddie Rogers was tagged with the loss for the Orediggers.
Offensively, Adams State had eight hits including two doubles, a triple and home run.
In the second game, the Orediggers struck first as they scored three runs in the second and fourth innings while scoring two runs in the top of the third.
Adams State, who forced the game to be a complete seven innings, scored a solo run in the bottom of the second as Riggins took an 0-1 pick and nailed it to deep centerfield for a solo jack
.
The Grizzlies scored another solo run in the bottom of the seventh inning as
Kalin Johnson grounded out to score
Jasmine Parker.
Adams State will close out the four-game series and the eight-game homestand on Monday with a doubleheader set to start at 11 a.m.
