Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
22-20, 3-7
New Mexico
22-20, 6-7
Softball recap: Manzanares propels CSU to 2-0 win
4/10/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Colorado State picked up a big road win Friday, defeating New Mexico, 2-0, during the first game of the weekend series. It was a pitchers' duel between CSU's Holly Reinke and UNM's Carrie Sheehan, with both teams being held scoreless through six frames.
The Rams (22-20, 3-7 MW) finally got to Sheehan in the seventh, with three of their five hits on the day. Freshman Savannah Clark led off the inning with a single to left, but pinch runner Madison Kilcrease was thrown out a batter later trying to steal second. It wouldn't matter, though, as senior Danielle Wikre singled up the middle to re-start the rally, and on a 2-1 count, junior Jaelyn Manzanares belted a home run to right-center, breaking the scoreless tie.
"It was a really fast game," Head Coach Jen Fisher said. "Both pitchers were doing a really good job keeping the ball down and making the batters ground out. Wik came up big with a nice base hit up the middle, and then J picked us up. It was a line drive over the fence in right-center. That gave us the boost that we needed."
Following two runs in the top half of the inning, Reinke got the Lobos (22-20, 6-7 MW) to hit into three-consecutive groundouts in the bottom half of the inning to preserve the complete-game shutout.
"Holly's been pretty sharp, but everything was working and the defense was strong behind her," Fisher said. "The win felt good."
Reinke allowed four hits and two walks over seven innings, striking out three Lobos batters. It was the junior's 10th win of the season.
UNM's only scoring threat came in the fourth inning. Karissa Haleman reached on a throwing error, and Chelsea Johnson followed with a walk. Mia Hignojos singled to load the bases, but the next batter grounded out to Reinke to end the inning. Two other times, UNM had a runner on base before CSU induced a double play.
In addition to the seventh, CSU also had a scoring chance in its half of the inning. Senior Haley David singled with one out -- the Rams' first base runner of the game -- and she advanced to third on a Shae Rodriguez base hit. Rodriguez stole second to reach scoring position, however, neither runner could score.
CSU has now won nine of its past 11 games away from home, and overall, its past four wins have come via a shutout. The Rams will look to continue their hot streak Saturday for Game 2 of the three-game series. The game can be streamed for free through the Mountain West Network.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Reinke, Holly (10-13)
L: SHEEHAN (6-4)
Batting:
HR: Manzanares, Jaelyn 1
RBI: Manzanares, Jaelyn 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Wikre, Danielle 1 ; Manzanares, Jaelyn 1
SB: Rodriguez, Shae 1
CS: Kilcrease, Madison 1
Batting:
SH: HIGNOJOS 1
