Michelena's Big Day Not Enough For Rams

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Oct 19

1:00 PM

Softball

vs Northern Colorado

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – When she was supposed to be walking across the stage at graduation, Ashley Michelena was with her teammates for game-day warmups.

Given a choice, she was in the right place, with the right people. Friday's game with Boise State represented her second-to-last game in a Colorado State uniform, and that feeling stood even after the Rams dropped a 13-5 decision to the Broncos at Ram Field, a game shortened to six innings.

Colorado State is now 18-27 on they year, 9-14 in Mountain West play. Boise State improved to 39-10, 18-5).

The senior lead-off hitter was perfect at the plate, leading off the game with a hustle double. She would add a triple to right center in her next trip to the plate, then hit a liner for a single in her final appearance. While it was her day, it was an off day for the team as whole, and as long as she's been playing the sport, she understands it comes with the territory.

"Obviously this game is a game of failure at the end, and you have to learn from it and come back the next day and know what you need to do," Michelena said. "Yesterday was a harder day for me, so I just reevaluated and today I learned, so I feel it's just a game of learning pretty much."

Personally, for her, it was a bounce-back day. She took an uncharacteristic 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts in the series opener Thursday, something she's done just 15 times this year, on average, going 10 at-bats without one.

It happens, but you move on, and coach Jen Fisher wants her to enjoy what she did even if the rest of the day went south.

"For her, yesterday, she was on the opposite end of the spectrum," Fisher said. "We talked about it, and she handled it like a champion. She wasn't happy, but she didn't cry or throw something or lash out at her teammates. She came back. That's what this game will do to you.

"I think what she's doing is continuing to be a great teacher and a great leader, even until the very last day."

And there is only one more, so the Rams will put Friday's miscues to rest. When Michelena picked up her third hit, was only one of four for the team, which struck out nine times in the game. On the flip side, CSU pitchers issued too many free passes – eight in total – and the defense wasn't sharp. It wasn't just the two errors in the book, but a few missed opportunities to grab outs and shorten innings.

Boise State paired all that with 10 hits, producing two big innings. A five-run first gave them an early jump on the win, and the seven-run sixth made the run-rule possible.

"Just not our best game defensively. What's tough is the pitchers, with most of those hits, the pitchers are getting what we call bad contact, and we just have to work on taking care of the ball better," Fisher said. "They know it. It bothers me because it bothers them. They feel really bad. I want to run toward it and work on it and not let it happen again. We've been working on a lot of stuff lately, but it just didn't show up for us today."
What she did like was the last inning, when the Rams put up two runs on the board, sending a string of young pinch hitters in the game who produced some strong at-bats, with Carolina Buffaloe getting a hit. Makenna McVay drove in two with a single in the bottom of the sixth. Kaitlyn Cook produced the Rams' first big blow, a two-run homer in the second which cut down the lead.

Saturday's game is the last of the season, which is not lost on Michelena, one of three seniors who will be honored pregame.

She's expecting an emotional game, but as she's learned, you deal with the good and the bad and plan for the best the next outing.

"You definitely have to build off it. Keeping our heads high and leaning on each other, knowing it's an off day for a few of us, and hopefully tomorrow we come back and all of us are doing our thing," she said. "Tomorrow is the last shot we've got. I think we've got to play for our seniors. We know we've given it all we've got, and it's our last game on our home field, so I think we want to go out proud and with a win."

First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m.

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Carolina Buffaloe

Kaitlyn Cook

Makenna McVay

Ashley Michelena