by By David Wilson, Assistant AD-Communications
PUEBLO, Colorado — The Fort Lewis College softball team opened a mid-week road series against Colorado State University Pueblo on Tuesday, splitting the doubleheader during a windy afternoon at Rawlings Softball Complex.
Fort Lewis (7-15 overall, 7-11 RMAC) and CSU Pueblo (11-11 overall, 8-10 RMAC) were originally scheduled to square off back on March 22, but had the series postponed due to Covid-19 related issues.
After falling by an 8-2 final in the series opener, the Skyhawks rallied back to win a wild 12-7 affair in the nightcap.
“We need to win games we’re suppose to win and getting Game Two was really important for us,” said FLC head softball coach, Ashley Reeves. “We didn’t play well at all in Game One and had a lot of mental mistakes. But in Game Two, the girls hit the ball, played good defense and were able to get it done.”
Game Two
Seven different players recorded at least one hits, and a trio of Skyhawks had three hits apiece in Tuesday’s finale to help FLC claim a 12-7, come-from-behind victory.
After falling in an early 2-0 hole in the first inning, Fort Lewis pushed across three runs in the top of the second courtesy of a two-run single from senior Shelby Hotchkiss and a RBI single by junior Kylie Hefley.
The duo were lethal atop of the FLC batting order as they combined for six of the team’s 14 hits. Hotchkiss finished Game Two 3-for-6 from the leadoff spot with two runs scored and two RBI, while Hefley was 3-for-4 with a run scored and two driven in.
Fort Lewis manufactured five runs in the middle innings to balloon its lead to 8-3, but CSU Pueblo made a rally of its own with three runs in the fifth and a run in the sixth to cut the deficit to 8-7 heading to the final inning.
The Skyhawks squashed the ThunderWolves’ comeback hopes in the seventh, though, as they plated four runs; three coming across on the three-run home run driven through the wind by freshman infielder Jadyn Gilley.
“Jadyn came up big for us and she hit that ball a long, long ways,” Reeves said. “It was clutch. We needed those runs with CSU Pueblo hitting the ball well at that point, so we needed that cushion.”
It was the third home run of the season for Gilley, who led all Skyhawks with four runs batted in during Game Two.
Senior second baseman Pilar Gutierrez provided another huge lift to the FLC offense as she reached base in all five of her plate appearances, finishing 3-for-3 with two runs scored and two walks. Freshman first baseman Brianna Leavell added a 2-for-4 performance at the plate with a run scored and RBI to help pace the FLC lineup.
Picking up the win in the pitcher’s circle was senior right-hander Kendra Keahbone (Kiowa/Taos Pueblo), coming in to pitch four strong innings of relief as she held CSU Pueblo to four runs, only one earned, on five hits to move to 3-0 on the season.
