Colorado State University Athletics
Rams Win MWC Championship With Sweep of New Mexico
5/9/2004 12:00:00 AM | Softball
The Colorado State softball team earned the outright claim to the Mountain West Conference regular-season Championship with an 8-0 game-one win over New Mexico in five innings on Sunday afternoon at Ram Field, and completed the season sweep of the Lobos with a 6-4 game-two win. The Rams improved to 40-13 (16-4 MWC) to claim the team?s first conference championship since the 1997 team finished first in the WAC, and their first in the Mountain West.
Senior pitcher Megan Masser held the Lobos to only two hits, pitching seven straight hitless innings going back to Saturday?s games before giving up an infield single in the fourth inning. With the win, Masser improved her season record to 11-4, and recorded her second shutout of the season and her 10th complete game of the season.
The Rams? offense performed under pressure in game one, scoring all eight of the team?s runs with two outs on the board. In the top of the second, walks to Brittany Huerta and Melanie Laffoon, followed by a passed ball advancing both runners, set the stage for a Rachelle Padway?s two-RBI single through the right side of the infield. Katie Dean followed Padeway with a base on balls and with a new pitcher in the circle, Stephanie Roberts knocked in Padeway and Dean double to center field.
Roberts added two more RBI, giving her a career high five RBI on the day. With two outs in the fourth inning Roberts notched her 11th home run of the season, a three run shot that scored Padeway, who reached on a fielder?s choice and Dean, who singled to left field.
The Rams added their eighth run of the ball game in the fifth inning. Padeway hit her first sacrifice fly of the season and career-high third RBI of the game, scoring Jen Gardner, who came on as a pinch runner for the catcher Kerry Farrell, from third base.
In game two, the Rams rallied from a 4-2 deficit, scoring four runs in the fifth inning to win the game. The Rams jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning. Roberts led off the game with a double to left center field, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a single to third base by Farrell.
New Mexico took a 2-0 lead in the second inning on a home run by Cassie Chavez. The Rams cut the deficit in half in the top half of the inning when Farrell scored senior Ricki Walker on back-to-back doubles to center field. The Lobos scored their third and fourth runs of the game on a Stephanie Kennedy two-RBI triple in the bottom of the third.
The Rams? scored four runs in the top of the fifth inning, to take 6-4 lead. Junior Brittany Burtner led off the inning with a walk and Walker reached on an error by the short stop. After a fly out by Farrell, freshman pitcher Jessica Strickland doubled to left center to score Burtner and Walker. Freshman Brittany Huerta extended her hold on the single-season home run title with her 14th home run of the season, a two-run shot to put the game out of reach of the Lobos.
Strickland picked up the win and improved her season record to 11-4, allowing four runs in six innings and striking out four batters. Masser earned her third save of the season, pitching one inning of relief, striking out one batter and catching the line drive to end the game.
The Rams earned a No. 1 seed in the Mountain West Conference Tournament and will now prepare to defend their title as 2003 Tournament Champions. The team earned a first-round bye and will await the winner of the No.4 vs. No. 5 matchup, playing the winner at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 14 at 4:30 p.m.
2004 Colorado State Softball
Colorado State at New Mexico (Game 1)
May 09, 2004 at Fort Collins, Colo. (Ram Field)
Colorado State 8 (39-13,15-4 MWC) New Mexico 0 (29-33,3-15 MWC)
Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB
------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------
ROBERTS, Stephanie 2b.... 3 1 2 5 0 0 3 1 0 HODGINS rf............... 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
BURTNER, Brittany ss..... 3 0 2 0 0 0 1 3 0 BYNUM cf................. 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
WALKER, Ricki rf......... 3 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 HENSLEY ss............... 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 2 0
FARRELL, Kerry c......... 2 0 0 0 1 0 4 0 0 KENNEDY 2b............... 2 0 0 0 0 0 4 3 1
GARDNER, Jennifer pr.... 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 OGAS dp.................. 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
STRICKLAND, Jessica 1b... 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 HUTSON c................. 2 0 0 0 0 1 3 1 1
HUERTA, Brittany lf...... 1 1 1 0 2 0 3 0 0 CHAVEZ 3b................ 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0
LAFFOON, Melanie dp...... 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 SHARTZER 1b.............. 1 0 0 0 1 0 4 1 0
PADEWAY, Rachelle 3b..... 2 2 1 3 0 0 1 0 0 SENA pr................. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
DEAN, Katie cf........... 2 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 SANDBERG lf.............. 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
MASSER, Megan p.......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 PERKINS p................ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Totals................... 20 8 8 8 5 2 15 5 4 Totals................... 16 0 2 0 2 2 15 7 4
Score by Innings R H E
--------------------------------------
Colorado State...... 040 31 - 8 8 0
New Mexico.......... 000 00 - 0 2 0
--------------------------------------
LOB - Colorado Sta 4; New Mexico 4. 2B - ROBERTS, S.(7). HR - ROBERTS, S.(11). HBP - LAFFOON, M.. SH - SANDBERG(8). SF -
PADEWAY, R.(1). CS - WALKER, R.(2).
Colorado State IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP New Mexico IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP
-------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------
MASSER, Megan....... 5.0 2 0 0 2 2 16 19 65 PERKINS............. 1.2 2 4 4 3 0 6 9 33
OGAS................ 3.1 6 4 4 2 2 14 18 62
Win - MASSER, M. (12-4). Loss - PERKINS (12-7). Save - None.
HBP - by OGAS (LAFFOON, M.). PB - HUTSON 2(10). Pitches/strikes: MASSER, M. 65/40; PERKINS 33/15; OGAS 62/37.
Umpires - HP: Glenda Bates
Start: 12:57 pm Time: 1:23 Attendance:
Game: CS-NM1
2004 Colorado State Softball
Colorado State at New Mexico (Game 2)
May 09, 2004 at Fort Collins, Colo. (Ram Field)
Colorado State 6 (40-13,16-4 MWC) New Mexico 4 (29-34,3-16 MWC)
Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB
------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------
ROBERTS, Stephanie 2b.... 4 1 1 0 0 1 2 3 2 HODGINS rf............... 4 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
BURTNER, Brittany ss..... 3 1 1 0 1 0 2 3 0 BYNUM cf................. 2 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0
WALKER, Ricki 1b......... 4 2 2 0 0 0 8 1 0 HENSLEY ss............... 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 5 0
FARRELL, Kerry c......... 4 0 2 2 0 0 5 0 0 KENNEDY 2b............... 3 1 2 2 0 0 3 2 0
STRICKLAND, Jessica p.... 4 1 2 2 0 0 1 1 3 KORSAK c................. 2 0 1 0 0 0 4 0 1
HUERTA, Brittany lf...... 4 1 1 2 0 2 1 0 0 CHAVEZ 3b................ 3 1 1 2 0 0 0 3 0
LAFFOON, Melanie dp...... 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 DOVER dp................. 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1
PADEWAY, Rachelle 3b..... 4 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 SHARTZER 1b.............. 3 0 1 0 0 1 10 0 0
DEAN, Katie cf........... 3 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 SANDBERG lf.............. 3 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 1
LEIGH, Stacey ph........ 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 DUMAS p.................. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
ALLEN, Carly rf.......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 PERKINS p............... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
MASSER, Megan p......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0
Totals................... 35 6 13 6 1 4 21 9 9 Totals................... 26 4 6 4 0 5 21 10 3
Score by Innings R H E
-----------------------------------------
Colorado State...... 101 040 0 - 6 13 0
New Mexico.......... 022 000 0 - 4 6 1
-----------------------------------------
E - HENSLEY(17). LOB - Colorado Sta 9; New Mexico 3. 2B - ROBERTS, S.(8); WALKER, R.(18); FARRELL, K.(18); STRICKLAND,J(11).
3B - KENNEDY(2). HR - HUERTA, B.(14); CHAVEZ(8). HBP - BYNUM. SH - KORSAK(7). SB - STRICKLAND,J(1).
Colorado State IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP New Mexico IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP
-------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------
STRICKLAND, Jessica. 6.0 6 4 4 0 4 23 25 88 DUMAS............... 2.1 7 2 2 0 1 14 14 38
MASSER, Megan....... 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 3 3 7 PERKINS............. 4.2 6 4 3 1 3 21 22 83
Win - STRICKLAND,J (11-4). Loss - PERKINS (12-8). Save - MASSER, M. (3).
WP - DUMAS; PERKINS. HBP - by STRICKLAND,J (BYNUM). Pitches/strikes: STRICKLAND,J 88/58; MASSER, M. 7/6; DUMAS 38/26; PERKINS
83/50.
Umpires -
Start: 2:53 pm Time: 2:07 Attendance: 132
Game: CS-NM2
