Colorado State dropped both ends of a doubleheader in a day of extremes against Nevada Saturday. While the first game was a classic pitcher’s duel, coming down to the final swing, the nightcap saw the wheels fall off in a high-scoring showing for the Wolf Pack.
The first game stayed close with CSU losing 2-0, while the second got away from the Rams again at a staggering 23-7.
The series opener was defined by a stellar performance from the circle. Despite facing a UNR squad ranked No. 2 in the Mountain West conference and known for its prolific offense, Reagan Wick held them to just six hits and two runs.
The Rams aimed to focus on the attack mindset in pitching. They stayed aggressive in the zone to prevent UNR’s hitters from getting comfortable.
“Their style of play is really their ability to go throughout the whole game, hitting and not shutting down at all,” Wick said. “So really, staying in the game the whole entire time with my pitches and everything was my style.”
While the pitching was a plus, CSU’s offense couldn’t find the breakthrough. Both teams recorded six hits, but the Rams struggled to produce in scoring positions.
“(Wick) just shut down (one of) the most prolific offenses in the conference,” head coach Jen Fisher said. “And I think she had a great plan going in, and she trusted her plan. We also played really good defense behind her. I thought Bradie (Poteet-Herrera) did a great job at third, and yeah, she did awesome.”
Game 1 was pushed to the wire with CSU finding itself just one swing away from tying the game at the bottom of the 7th inning with bases loaded. No matter the effort, though, the Wolf Pack held on for the narrow victory.
“Pressure is a privilege,” Clarissa Castillo said. ”I think not everybody gets to have pressure as a part of them. It’s a good growing tool, whether it goes your way or not. I think you have to learn how to work through pressure situations in your life.”
Game two was not without highlights from the Rams, though, still scoring seven runs and then keeping their heads up even after UNR’s massive 12-run 7th inning.
“We’re not as down as that score indicates of that second game,” Fisher said. “We didn’t let them really rush us. We tried to stay calm. We got in our runs down, had a couple of weird situations and did okay.”
The opener gave way to a difficult outing, as the score quickly shifted from the Rams’ favor. Fisher said the pitchers, catchers and defense were in a “difficult situation” down 15 runs by the end of the game.
The frenzy throughout the game led to four total errors. Fisher said it’s unfortunate to give a team like UNR more outs than necessary, but she doesn’t see this statistic as a lack of effort.
“Sometimes you’re going to make an error, you’re going to strike out, you’re going to do all the things, but it’s how you come back from that,” Castillo said. “We do quite a good job (accepting mistakes). ‘That happened. You know what? It’s fine. Let’s go back. Let’s get the next one.’”
The Rams still see each new game as a new opportunity.
“I told the team, ‘If we let false criticism get to us, if we don’t believe in each other and believe that we can come out and play our best, then, you know, it’s voluntary to show up tomorrow,’” said Fisher. “This game will just beat you up if you have too long a memory.”
Reach Jenna Jenkins at sports@collegian.com or on X @JennaCollegian
Interested in more sports content? Sign up for Ram Report here for weekly CSU sports updates!
