ALAMOSA, Colo. – Adams State Softball had a solid opening day on their home turf Saturday afternoon with a doubleheader sweep over Fort Lewis College.
The Grizzlies day one sweep of the four-game series improves their record to 2-16 overall and 2-4 in the RMAC. The Skyhawks fall to 5-14 overall and 0-6 in the RMAC.
Game one was a back-and-forth battle between the two squads and a high scoring one as Mother Nature used the wind to help both produce multiple runs midway through the game and late.
The Grizzlies struck first in the bottom of the first scoring three runs.
Angel Micciulli,
Sarah Rocha, and
Shelby Haskins were walked to load the bases.
Sarah Hansen then cleared the bases with a three RBI to deep center.
The score remained 3-0 in Adams State's favor through the second inning and the team extended it to 7-0 with a four-run inning in the bottom of the third on four hits.
A pair of singles from
Brittany Phillips and Alyssa Berteuax-Solorzano got the two on base and a hit by pitch on
Kenzie Lange once again loaded them up. Two Batters later, Micciulli brought everyone home with a triple to left field. Micciulli scored the final run of the inning on a
Baylie Fryar RBI single up the middle.
Despite a commanding 7-0 lead for the Grizzlies, the Skyhawks scored five unanswered runs in the top of the fourth. They needed just two hits as a pair of Grizzly errors help them get back into the game. The two hits for the Skyhawks were solid as they produced a triple on a two-run home run to give themselves life midway through the game.
The momentum for the Fort Lewis offense did not translate to defense as Adams State scored four runs on five hits in the bottom of the fourth and two errors from the visitors helped the home team re-establish the lead by six runs.
Haskins got the bats started for the Grizzlies with a leadoff triple. Hansen was then walked and replaced by pinch runner
Kyrah Archibald. Archibald then stole second base and both she and Haskins crossed home plate on back-to-back throwing errors to make it a 9-5 game.
Following the errors, Phillips hit a standup triple to right field. Two batters later, a RBI single from lange plated home Phillips to give the Grizzlies a 10-5 lead. Micciulli brought in the final run in Lange on a RBI base hit to center field and the Grizzlies led 11-5 going into the fifth.
A leadoff walk in the fifth followed by a RBI double for the Skyhawks gave them one run to stay within striking distance of the Grizzlies at 11-6. The Skyhawks then worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the fifth to immediately get back on offense.
Fort Lewis once again threatened and got within two runs in the top of the sixth with three runs on two hits and on the help of two Adams State errors. A fielding error got the second batter on for the visitors and it was followed up with a two-run homer to center field to cut the Adams State lead to 11-8. The final run came on fielding error and double that plated home the third run for Fort Lewis.
The Grizzlies final run of the game came in the bottom of the sixth and it was all they needed to hold on for the win. Lange hit a one-out solo bomb well past center field to get a run back for the Grizzlies and push their lead to 12-9 going into the final inning.
The Skyhawks final run of the game was nearly identical to the Grizzlies as they hit a solo home run past center field as well to make a 12-10 game with one out. The Grizzlies then forced a pair of groundouts to take game one and get their first win of the year.
Multiple Grizzlies had a solid offensive performance in game one. Lange went 2-3 with three runs scored and two RBI. Phillips had the most hits going 3-4 with a run scored. Micciulli was 2-4 with three RBI and scored two runs. Fryar finished 2-3 with two RBI. Hansen was 1-3 with three RBI.
Phillips got the win the circle after working four complete innings to improve to 1-5 on the year. She gave up just one earned run and six hits while striking out one batter to go along with eight force outs.
Jade Garbiso picked up her first save of the season after closing out the final three innings. She fanned one batter and allowed just two earned runs.
Aneglique Elemen led the way for the Skyhawks going 3-4 with two runs scored and three RBI. Taylor Hollestelle and Dana Dwyer each went 2-4 in the game while Hollestelle scored two runs. Dwyer had one RBI for the game. Kelly Decker (0-6) suffered the loss after giving up three earned runs to start the game
Game two started in the Skyhawks favor as they scored five runs in the first two inning to lead 5-1 going into the bottom of the fifth. The solid start was short lived after the Grizzlies ripped off 13 runs in the bottom of the second to take a 14-5 lead into the third.
A leadoff single in the first got thing started for Fort Lewis in what looked like was going to game that went in their favor. The visitors first run came on a double to left center that scored the second batter who got on base thanks to a fielder's choice. Following a stolen base, the Fort Lewis runner scored on a RBI single to the shortstop.
The Grizzlies managed to get a run back in the bottom of the first to cut the Skyhawks lead to 2-1.
Sarah Rocha was walked as the second batter and a RBI double from
Shelby Haskins plated Rocha home. The Skyhawks responded once again with three runs scored on three hits in the second and with the help of a Grizzlies error.
A single got the first Fort Lewis batter on base and a double got her to third. She managed to score on a throwing error from left field from Adams State. A walk and another double score the next two runs for Fort Lewis to give them a 5-1 going into the bottom of the second.
The bottom of the second was when things opened up for the Grizzlies with them scoring 13 runs on 10 hits and they got some help on three Skyhawk errors. Of the 13 runs, just three were unearned as the Grizzlies offense came to life.
Julie Jimenez plated home the first run on a RBI double to score
Brittany Phillips. Jimenez got to third on a wild pitch and
Samantha McDonald got on with single to the pitcher. She then stole second which forced a throwing error from the catcher and Jimenez was able to score.
Back-to-back walks from Fort Lewis got
Angel Micciulli and
Baylie Fryar on base to load them up. Rocha brought in McDonald with a base hit to center field. A fielding error in the next at bat brought Micciulli home, then
Zoe Munn got a bunt single to score one run and give the Grizzlies a 6-5 edge.
The Grizzlies batting order restarted and Phillips pushed the lead to three runs with a two RBI single to deep right field. Jimenez then hit a RBI groundout to third base to score Munn and the Grizzlies led 9-5.
Kenzie Lange cleared the bases in the next at bat with a two-run homer to right center. In the blink of an eye the Grizzlies lead was at 11-5.
McDonald once again got another base hit, this time on a bunt, and immediately stole second after getting on. Micciulli got her home on a deep RBI single to center field and advanced to second on the throw. An error from the Skyhawks scored Micciulli and a wild pitch scored the final run for the Grizzlies to make it a 14-5 game.
Neither team produced a run in the third. Fort Lewis worked a three up, three down inning in the third and quickly scored in the fourth to try and mount a comeback. A leadoff double got a runner and two batters later a two-run home run to left field cut the Adams State lead to 14-7.
Defense held through for the Skyhawks in the bottom of the fourth as they stranded a runner to finally slow down the Grizzlies. The Grizzlies answered on defense as well leaving a Skyhawk runner stranded to stay out in front by seven runs.
The Grizzlies needed just one run in the bottom of the fifth to end the game early and they got exactly what they needed. Haskins led off with a double to left before be replaced by pinch runner
Kyrah Archibald. Archibald did not wait long to cross home plate as Munn delivered the walkoff double up the middle to end the game and sealed the 15-7 win in five innings.
McDonald had the most hits going a perfect 3-3 in game two, with two runs scored and a pair of stolen bases. Rocha, Haskins, and Phillips al finished 2-3 in the game. Rocha scored two runs and had one RBI, while Haskins had a RBI and a run scored. Phillips scored a pair of run and totaled two RBI in the win.
Jade Garbiso got the game two win to move to 1-9. She pitched the whole game and fanned one batter.
McKenna Hafley led Fort Lewis with a 3-3 hitting performance. She had a game-high five RBI and scored two runs. Taylor Hollestelle was the only other multi-hit player in the game as she finished 2-3 and scored three runs to go along with a RBI. Mackenzie Parks suffered the loss in the circle to move to 0-1. She went 1.1 innings allowing 10 runs, nine earned, on seven hits.
The Grizzlies and Skyhawks close out their four-game series Sunday, March 3. First pitch is set for 11 a.m. at the ASU Softball Field.
