Rams Finish Strong with Walk-Off in Series Finale against Rebels

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Sep 21

1:30 PM

Softball

vs Regis

Sep 26

6:00 PM

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at Northern Colorado

Oct 3

6:00 PM

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Oct 4

3:00 PM

Softball

vs Utah

Oct 11

10:00 AM

Softball

vs Nebraska - Omaha

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The Colorado State softball team finally caught a glimpse of their capabilities.

Sunday's series closer against the UNLV Rebels yielded success for a lineup, which had been having highs and lows. After Saturday's losses against the Rebels, the Rams had a plan to give the last game of the series everything they could.

"We just wanted to leave everything out there today," senior Tara Shadowen said. "We didn't want to leave anything undone. Try your best and leave it all out on the field. We don't have anything to lose today, and having that pressure taken off of us really let us play free and it helped."

Saturday against the Rebels, Colorado State put up four hits between both games. This time around, the Rams put up the best numbers of the season and more than tripled the numbers from the day prior, while also hitting three home runs, another season high.

Shadowen led the team and went 4-for-4 with five RBI and two home runs, followed by Ashley Michelena with three hits and three runs. As a whole, Colorado State produced a season-best 14 hits.

Coach Jen Fisher was proud of how strong the team came out in the first inning – scoring four runs – as the Rebels never got a chance to take the lead, though they tied the game twice.

The roster also introduced a new face to the starting battery. Freshman Sydney Hornbuckle made her starting debut in the circle, and with her team behind her, it was all the confidence the freshman needed to start the game off.

"I was really happy for Syd," Fisher said. "She did a great job, and she's been wanting opportunities, and she absolutely deserves it. She's a hardworking kid and she did a nice job today to keep them off balance and help the whole staff be more effective."

All of the small successes on the field were the building blocks for a victory, but the win almost got away from the Rams in the top of the seventh inning, when UNLV scored three runs to tie the game at 7-7.

In the bottom of the seventh, sophomore Danielle Serna found a way to get on base with a single, followed by Peyton Allen and Maya Matsubara. With the bases loaded and one out, freshman Ashley York hit a sacrifice fly, bringing Serna home and clenching the walk-off victory for the Rams.

"I was nervous," Shadowen said. "I knew that we were hitting that game and we are so capable of playing that well and beating those kinds of teams. Today proved it for us. Even when we are tied, we can still win those ball games. Everyone was a part of that win, and it was awesome."

Fisher is especially impressed with the perseverance of her players. A year like this with canceled games, bad weather, and an ongoing pandemic has to leave room for leniency, and this group has exceeded her expectations.

With Colorado State serving UNLV one of three losses for conference play, the focus turns to preparation for a two-game series at home Tuesday against Northern Colorado, who the team has faced once before this season.

Last time out against the Bears, the Rams won 7-1 with 12 hits, and Fisher is confident the team will have the same outcome on Tuesday. Even as the Rams seem to be finding their groove, there are always improvements to be made to make the rest of the season a huge success.

"I think you're going to keep seeing this group improve," Fisher said. "The seniors approach every day as a learning experience and they're still trying to get better. I think the seniors are really trying to push for the younger players to have a good experience, and they can teach them all that they have to teach them. The younger players are trying to push to make it a really good finish for the seniors. They really care about them and they want them to be playing their best ball."

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