Colorado State softball had a busy weekend, hosting four games in Fort Collins. The Rams fell to Saint Mary’s 14-13 Thursday, won back-to-back games Friday and Saturday — 4-3 and 5-0 against New Mexico — and finished with a 9-8 loss, splitting the weekend.
The Rams put the first score on the board early in the game with Bradie Poteet-Herrera hitting one deep center field to set up Jailey Wilson from second base. Poteet-Herrera followed in her momentum and scored a run off of Autumn Rutherford, who finished the game with two hits and a team-high five at-bats.
“Autumn is just a really good athlete,” head coach Jen Fisher said. “She reads the ball extremely well and runs the bags really well. She’s pretty gifted. I think she just gives it a really different look from the left side, and she has a lot of different tools that she can use.”
UNM didn’t fall too far behind and came back in the second inning to match CSU’s score at 2-2, but not before junior Allyson Moody took advantage of a fielding error, heading into the third at 3-2.
CSU saw a big fourth inning with a quick pitching change from UNM, gaining two walks and two runs scored by Jac Smith and Wilson. Catcher Abby Edwards sealed the inning with a double to right center field, leading the way for Lindsey Hinson and Poteet-Herrera to score from second and third base.
“I tell them you have got to be like a shark; smell the blood and go for the kill at that point,” Fisher said. “Because I just think that was our moment when they were bringing in different pitchers.”
CSU didn’t capitalize on its momentum, though.
The Lobos shined the following three innings, scoring 6 runs off 8 hits with Miracle McKenzie homering one, her 11th of the season, leading to a 3-run play. Melanie Macias capitalized on a throwing error followed by a hit made by DeNae Vasquez-Dickson leading to a run from second base.
After the 3 runs scored by UNM, CSU replaced junior Reagan Wick for senior Giselle Bentley.
“(With) Giselle, we just know we’re going to get a lot of hard hit balls at us, but we’re a good defense behind her, and we just have to know that,” Edwards said. “Reagan’s definitely our strikeout pitcher, so (we) just definitely (have to) be more ready for more things when Giselle was out there.”
The second home run of the game came from UNM’s Jessica Deleon, bringing the score to 9-7 at the top of the seventh after a 6-0 scoring run through three innings for the Lobos. CSU was not able to match the fire of UNM but still managed to score off a hit from Edwards, giving Lauren Stucky the opportunity to run it home from second base.
“Yeah, I have so much confidence in (Edwards),” Rutherford said. “She’s a great leader on the team. Her being able to lead offensively and behind the play and at third, I think she’s just doing a great job.”
CSU faces another multiple-game weekend, March 27, 28 and 29 against Boise State in Fort Collins.
Reach Audrey Neale at sports@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegianSpts.
Interested in more sports content? Sign up for Ram Report here for weekly CSU sports updates!
