Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
21-19, 0
Utah State
14-24, 0
Softball recap: Rams drop pair to Aggies
4/7/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Game 1 Box Score  | Game 2 Box Score
FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- The Colorado State softball team lost both games of its double header on Tuesday, falling to Utah State 9-8 and 9-1. CSU enters tomorrow's series finale with a record of 21-19, including 2-6 in Mountain West play, while the Aggies improve to 14-24, 6-5 MW.
Utah State 9, Colorado State 8
CSU had the go-ahead run in scoring position in the bottom of the seventh inning, but couldn't bring the run home, falling to Utah State, 9-8.
The Rams led early, 2-1, but a six-run third inning gave the Aggies a commanding lead. The Rams never gave in, though, scoring five times in the sixth -- to bring the score to 8-7 -- and again in the seventh during the attempted rally.
"I thought our approach at the plate was aggressive, which is what we've been working on," Head Coach Jen Fisher said. "We definitely made some good adjustments and stuck to our plan pretty well. We wanted to drive strikes. We just really need to pitch better and play better defense in order to be in these games."
Needing two runs to tie and three to win, CSU's first three batters reached base to load the bases with zero outs. Sophomore Haley Hutton singled to right-center, bringing in Danielle Wikre -- who walked -- but Madison Kilcrease -- who singled -- was thrown out at the plate trying to score from second.
Still, CSU had two on base with just one out, and following a groundout and walk, the Rams again had the bases loaded. Utah State's Noelle Johnson, though, got Savannah Clark to hit a comebacker to end the game.
"They switched pitchers, and we took advantage of that, which I was very proud of," Fisher said. "We capitalized on that and got to see more of (Noelle) Johnson, who is their No. 1. The more you see someone and try to wear them down, the better."
Utah State took a commanding lead in the third inning, scoring six runs on seven hits. The Aggies added one more run in the fourth to take an 8-2 lead before CSU's big inning in the sixth.
After a quick first out, Wikre walked and Kilcrease singled. Both advanced into scoring position on a groundout, setting up a two-run triple for Haley Hutton. The sophomore scored on a Haley David single, and she came around by stealing second and scoring on Shae Rodriguez's single to center. Utah State changed pitchers, but CSU's next two batters both singled, with Rodriguez scoring on Jaelyn Manzanares' base hit.
The Rams held a 2-1 lead after two innings of play. Clark led off the second inning with a walk, and was pinch run for by Danni Klein. She advanced into scoring position on Manzanares' sacrifice bunt, and scored on a Taylor Hutton single to right field. Hutton worked her way around the bases via a error, wild pitch and eventually coming in on a Wikre sacrifice fly.
Haley Hutton went 3-for-5 with three runs scored and an RBI in the loss. Clark and David each had two hits, while Wikre scored two runs. Junior Holly Reinke took the loss, allowing four earned runs over two and one-third innings. Freshman Trinity Harrington tossed four innings in relief before freshman Logan Losh recorded the final two outs.
Utah State 9, Colorado State 1 (6)
In the second game, Utah State took advantage of several CSU miscues, scoring three runs in the third and four in the fourth, with just one run being earned. The Rams' lone run of the game came from senior Taylor Hutton, a solo home run in the bottom of the third inning. The long ball was her third of the season.
Hutton had two of CSU's five hits in the game. Haley Hutton, Jaelyn Manzanares and Shae Rodriguez had the others. Freshman Logan Losh took the loss, falling to 2-1 on the season. She pitched three and one-third innings, allowing seven runs, but just one earned.
Both teams went scoreless through the first two innings before Utah State's three-run third. Despite being limited to just seven base runners, the Rams posed a great threat in the fifth inning when Manzanares hit a leadoff double, followed by a Taylor Hutton infield single. Utah State got back-to-back outs, though, and despite an infield single by Haley Hutton to load the bases, CSU was unable to score. Needing at least one run to keep the game going in the sixth, CSU had two runners on base before the Aggies were able to get the final out.
"Tomorrow is a new day," Fisher said. "We'll come out with a chip on our shoulders and ready to play."
First pitch Wednesday is at 1 p.m. MT. Admission to Ram Field is free. Additionally, the game will be streamed for free through the Mountain West Network.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: JOHNSON, N. (12-10)
L: Losh, Logan (2-1)
Batting:
2B: ARMENDARIZ 1 ; JOHNSON, N. 2
RBI: KOONS, J. 1 ; FROTON, H. 3 ; ARMENDARIZ 2 ; ARATA, N. 1
SH: KOONS, J. 1 ; HART, S. 1
Base Running:
RUNS: CHOW, S. 3 ; FROTON, H. 1 ; PROVOST, P. 1 ; JOHNSON, N. 1 ; ARATA, N. 1 ; BUTTACAVOLI 1 ; CLARKE, J. 1
Batting:
2B: Manzanares, Jaelyn 1
HR: Hutton, Taylor 1
RBI: Hutton, Taylor 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hutton, Taylor 1
SB: Hutton, Taylor 1
