Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
5-3
Weber State
0-7-1
Recap: CSU splits final day at the DeMarini Desert Classic
2/19/2017 12:00:00 AM | Softball
LAS VEGAS - The Colorado State Rams split their final two games of the DeMarini Desert Classic, beating Weber State and falling to Texas State on Sunday.
CSU (5-4) finishes its run at the DeMarini Desert Classic with a 3-1 record, beating Idaho State and Northern Iowa on Friday before heavy rains forced the cancellation of the originally scheduled games on Saturday.
Weber State - 0
Colorado State - 4
Box Score
CSU beat Weber State to start Sunday, beating the Wildcats 4-0 behind a complete game shutout by pitcher Kaylynn Pierce.
Pierce allowed only two hits and no walks with three strikeouts in her first win as a Ram. Only three Weber State baserunners reached second base in the dominant CSU performance.
Senior Haley Hutton got the Rams on the board with a two-run double in the second inning, scoring juniors Larisa Petakoff and Hayleigh Evans. Petakoff had doubled to right field earlier in the inning, and Evans reached on an infield error.
The two-run CSU advantage would hold until the fifth inning, when sophomore Amber Nelson doubled the Rams' lead with a two-run homer, her second of the season.
The four-run lead would be plenty for Pierce, who earned her first collegiate win while wearing CSU colors, after transferring from UC Riverside after last season.
Hutton finished 2-for-3 in the contest, with her second-inning double being her second of the season. Petakoff's double was her first extra-base knock of the season.
Colorado State - 0
Texas State - 3
Box Score
After shutting out Weber State in the first game of the day, it was CSU who got blanked in the afternoon by Texas State, 3-0.
The two teams were not originally scheduled to compete this weekend, but after heavy rains force the cancellation of all games in the DeMarini Desert Classic on Saturday, both CSU and Texas State agreed to play Sunday.
Sophomore Bridgette Hutton gave CSU another complete game, allowing only one earned run, two hits and a walk over six innings. CSU's starters pitched complete games in all four contests the Rams played this weekend.
After two-and-a-half scoreless innings, the Bobcats broke the ice with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third. The Rams committed three errors in the inning, and Texas State's Jaclyn Molenaar stole both second and third to position herself to score.
Ariel Ortiz added a solo home run for Texas State in the sixth inning to cushion the Bobcats' lead.
CSU was not without its own offensive opportunities. Freshman Corina Gamboa tripled down the right field line to lead off the second inning, but a pop out and two strikeouts prevented her from crossing home.
Senior Taryn Arcarese and sophomore Amber Nelson each singled to begin the sixth inning. Speedster Kirsten Kauk pinch ran for Nelson, giving the Rams two on with no outs. The next three Rams were not able to advance them, however, again preventing a potential Rams rally.
IN THEIR WORDS…
"We've already seen a number of different situations this season. Adjusting to opposing pitching is important, and we are working to get better at that from game to game. We are still solidifying our lineup. The bottom of the order may remain fluid as the season progresses. We've seen a lot of different situations this season; low-scoring games, high-scoring games, different pitchers. We are continuing to get better." - CSU head coach Jen Fisher on the team's development through the first two weekends of the season
"Kaylynn did a great job getting lead outs and staying ahead in counts. It's pretty rare that all four games of our tournament were complete games by our starters. They've just stayed in control and kept hitters off balance. It's nice to see how well all of our pitchers have performed so far." - Fisher on the pitching performances this week
NEXT UP…
The Rams will have a week off of competition before playing their first games at Ram Field in 2017. CSU will host its home opener against Northern Colorado on Feb. 28 at 3 p.m. MT, before hosting the Colorado State Classic I the weekend of March 3-5. Penn State, Buffalo and Idaho State will all converge upon Fort Collins for the three-day event.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Pierce, Kaylynn (1-0)
L: Bohling, K. (0-6)
Batting:
SH: Hawker, L. 1 ; Saltern, T. 1
Base Running:
SB: Brinkerhoff 1
CS: Saltern, T. 1
HBP: Horne, M. 1
Batting:
2B: Hutton, Haley 1 ; Petakoff, Larisa 1
HR: Nelson, Amber 1
RBI: Hutton, Haley 1 ; Nelson, Amber 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Arcarese, Taryn 1 ; Nelson, Amber 1 ; Petakoff, Larisa 1 ; Evans, Hayleigh 1
