Colorado State University Athletics
Rams Upset In Opening Round Of MWC Tournament
5/12/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
San Diego, Calif. ? The No. 3 Colorado State University Softball team fell to the sixth-ranked San Diego State Aztecs by a score of 6-0 in the opening round of the Mountain West Conference Tournament on Thursday afternoon. The Loss, which was the fifth in a row for the Rams, drops the team?s record to 29-21 on the season, while the Aztecs improved to 27-28.
The Rams fell behind early and never recovered as the Aztecs took a 4-0 lead after the second inning aided by two Colorado State errors. The Aztecs added two more runs in the top of the fifth inning to put the game away.
Colorado State?s offense continued to struggle as the Rams were held to just four hits on the afternoon. Seniors Stephanie Roberts and Brittany Burtner, as well as freshman Julia Kloppe each finished the day 1-for-3 from the plate, while junior Jennifer Gardner hit 1-for-2 in an unfamiliar role as the designated player. Sophomore transfer Molly Gallu got her fourth start of the season in left field for the Rams.
Sophomore Jessica Strickland fell to 11-9 on the season with the loss. Strickland pitched 4.1 innings and allowed four earned runs on 11 hits, while striking out two batters. Junior Genevieve Kelly closed out the game for the Rams, allowing no runs on just four hits and striking out three batters in 2.2 innings.
Next up, the Rams will take on fourth-ranked Utah (21-28) at 2 p.m. PT on Friday. The Utes defeated New Mexico in their opening round, but fell to the top-ranked BYU Cougars on Thursday evening.