Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
Utah
Cusick's grand slam lifts Rams over Utes
5/9/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 9, 2008
FORT COLLINS, Colo. - Colorado State senior Lauren Cusick added another home run to her conference lead Friday to give her 20 roundtrippers on the season and give the Rams a 7-5 victory over Utah. Colorado State is now 28-22 overall on the season and 8-11 in MWC play.
Colorado State scored all seven runs in the bottom of the second inning on seven hits. Sophomore Rebecca Penland led off the inning with a walk and scored the first run for the Rams on the RBI single by sophomore Robyn Mask. Cusick stepped up to the plate with senior Julia Kloppe on third, Mask on second, and sophomore Sarah Sullivan on first and knocked a grand slam to dead center to give the Rams the 5-1 advantage with only one out in the inning.
Penland drove in the sixth run for Colorado State, plating freshman Caitlan Stem, in her second at-bat of the inning and Kloppe followed with a single to score sophomore Ashley Munoz and give the Rams the 7-1 lead.
Utah scored four more runs to cut the Ram lead to 7-5, but Penland, who came in to relieve senior Cayte Billman in the fifth inning, shut the door on Utes and picked up her first save of the season.
Billman recorded her 10th win on the season, pitching 4.2 innings while giving up two runs on five hits.
The Rams return to Ram Field Saturday for the final home game of the 2008 season. Billman, Cusick and Kloppe will be honored in a pre-game, Senior Day ceremony. First pitch is set for 12 p.m. MT.
