by By David Wilson, Assistant AD-Communications
PUEBLO, Colorado — The Fort Lewis College softball team earned its second straight road series split this week, taking one of two games during Wednesday’s doubleheader and two of four from the Colorado State University Pueblo ThunderWolves.
Fort Lewis (8-16 overall, 8-12 RMAC) lost a 5-4 heartbreaker in Game One on Wednesday, but showed resiliency rallying back to nab Game Two, 4-2, over the ThunderWolves (12-12 overall, 9-11 RMAC) to conclude the series on a high note.
“We’re not content with the two wins. We definitely should have won Game One today. We had a 4-1 lead in the sixth, but it kind of fell apart. But I’m proud of the girls for winning the second game,” said FLC head softball coach, Ashley Reeves. “It was a really big win for us. It was nice being able to get back on the road with that second win and I was proud of the way we came out swinging and made adjustments against their pitcher.”
Game Two
Behind a gem twirled by senior right-hander Kendra Keahbone (Kiowa/Taos Pueblo), the Skyhawks capped the four-game set with a 4-2, come-from-behind victory in the series finale.
Keahbone, the winning pitcher in both FLC wins during the series, limited CSU Pueblo to two runs, one earned, on nine scattered hits while inducing 16 groundouts. She moved to a team-best 4-0 on the season with a sparkling 2.10 earned run average.
“Kendra did a great job hitting her spots, getting hitters out on their front foot and we played good defense behind her,” Reeves said. “She’s bought in. She is throwing over the plate, not nibbling trying to get strikeouts, and she is letting the hitters make the mistake. Hitters are popping out, they’re rolling over and that’s exactly what we need them to do.”
With Keahbone keeping the Pack at bay, the FLC offense was able to manufacture a run in the second on a RBI single from junior catcher Taylor Beaman, scoring senior Pilar Gutierrez who also singled in the inning.
Fort Lewis added two more runs in the fifth via a RBI double from sophomore shortstop Courtney Huff and a RBI single from senior Shelby Hotchkiss, who shined in her move to the leadoff spot going 8-for-17 (.470) with six RBI and four runs scored.
Hotchkiss, FLC’s on-base leader at .449 this spring, also added two stolen bases and hammered her second home run of the season in Wednesday’s Game One.
“Shelby can swing early and also has the ability to work the count. She’s a big kid and it can be a little intimidating for a pitcher to have a hitter like that be lead-off,” Reeves said. “It’s worked out really well for us and she’s showing the ability to steal bases too.”
The Skyhawks added an insurance run in the sixth on a RBI groundout from Gutierrez before Keahbone slammed the door in the seventh to preserve the 4-2 final.
