Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
Illinois-Chicago
Eight home runs cap 5-0 weekend, tournament championship
2/17/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 17, 2008
LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The Colorado State softball team won its final games two games to seal a tournament championship at the Hotel Encanto de Las Cruces Classic on Sunday. The Rams beat the University of Illinois-Chicago, 9-5, and North Dakota State, 9-1, to give CSU a 5-0 record for the weekend and a 9-1 overall record.
Against UIC, The Rams got on the board first in the bottom of the first inning when sophomore Allison Majam singled to left field to score senior Lauren Cusick from third, who walked to lead off the inning.
After retiring Illinois-Chicago in order in the top of the second, Colorado State added three more runs to give them a 4-0 lead. With one out, sophomore Kayla Kreutzman was hit by a pitch to put her at first. With two outs Cusick singled to right field to advance Kreutzman to second. Freshman Caitlan Stem followed Cusick with a three-run blast to center field.
The Flames cut the lead in half in the top of the third when Sarah Clynes homered with Brittany Dixon on first.
The Rams answered in the bottom of the inning when freshman Eranne Daugharthy singled to score Majam from second to make the score 5-2.
In the fourth inning, Colorado State added four more runs to its lead after senior Cayte Billman hit a grand slam with one out to plate Majam, Stem and sophomore Ashley Munoz.
Illinois-Chicago scored three runs in the top of the seventh, but Billman shut the door after relieving sophomore starter Rebecca Penland earlier in the inning.
Stem was 3-for-3 in the game with three RBI and two runs scored. Billman went 2-for-4 in the game with a grand slam and a run scored.
Penland started the game for the Rams in the circle, pitching six innings and striking out two.
In the second game of the day, the Rams' bats were still hot. Cusick homered to left field to lead off the bottom of the first for Colorado State and Stem followed with another solo shot to give the Rams a quick, 2-0 lead. Colorado State would add another run in the third to push the CSU advantage to 3-0.
In the bottom of the fifth, after giving up a run to North Dakota State, the Rams added two more home runs when Cusick led off the inning with another solo shot, this time to right-center. With one out, Munoz doubled down line and scored when Majam hit a home run to right field.
Cusick then led off the sixth inning with a double to left field and scored on Majam's second homer of the game to right field. Billman followed Majam with her second home run of the day, a shot to right field as well.
Cusick and Majam each went 3-for-4 in the game with two home runs. Cusick had two RBI while Majam had four.
Junior Kim Klabough started the game in the circle for the Rams and pitched a complete game while striking out seven.
Three Ram players were named to the all-tournament team. Cusick, Stem, and Billman with Cusick named the tournament MVP.
Next up, Colorado State heads to San Diego for the University of San Diego Tournament. The first game for the Rams is scheduled for Friday at 3 p.m., against UC Riverside.
