Rams Sweep Pacific at Cal Baptist Classic

Calendar

Show:/

Oct 3

6:00 PM

Softball

vs Northern Colorado

Oct 4

3:00 PM

Softball

vs Utah

Oct 11

10:00 AM

Softball

vs Nebraska - Omaha

Oct 11

3:00 PM

Softball

at Nebraska

Oct 12

10:00 AM

Softball

at Nebraska

RIVERSIDE, Cal. – Entering day two of the Cal Baptist Classic, the Colorado State softball team was set to finish up the round robin portion of the tournament before being seeding into a four-team bracket to end the weekend. Facing off against Pacific in their first game, the Rams knew there was a high chance of seeing the Tigers again later in the day as their first-round matchup within the bracket.

Colorado State defeated Pacific in both games, winning game one 4-2 and game two 8-1.

Head Coach Jen Fisher knew of the probability of a double header with the Tigers and approached the day with a mentality of opportunity.

"We're not taking anything for granted and going for wins every time," Fisher said. "So even though we knew we were set to play them twice, we really did go 100%. We have a lot of depth on this team, and we were able to use a ton of people today because of that."

In game one, the Rams got off to a slow start offensively before senior Peyton Allen broke the scoreless game with a two-run home run to left field. With Colorado State's offense entering their third time through the lineup, they began to take advantage of the fatigue in the circle from Pacific.

In the bottom half of the fourth, the Tigers would tie the game off a triple from Delaney Scully, but Fisher said the Rams felt "in control throughout the whole game."

"Our team was really dialed in and focused." Fisher said. "We knew we were hitting some balls hard in quality at bats and taking good swings at good pitches so we felt confident going into the later innings."

The confidence in those good at bat is exactly what allowed the Rams to retake the lead in the fifth and hold onto it through the remainder of the matchup. Starting off the inning with a double from Molly Gates, Colorado State stayed patient at the plate, drawing three walks over the next four batters to take the lead and then added one more run off a wild pitch from Pacific.

Colorado State would win game one 4-2, solidifying their spot as the No. 2 seed in the bracket and rewarding freshman pitcher Giselle Bentley with her first career win. Bentley went all seven innings with two strikeouts and eleven groundouts while only surrendering six hits.

In game two, the Rams were able to score right out of the gates to gain a lead that they would maintain the rest of the night.

"We're trying to score first, last and often." Fisher said. "We had a great batting practice in between games, and I think the approach was really good heading into game two."

Gates started the game with a leadoff walk before Maya Matsubara and Ashley York both hits singles in the first inning to score Gates. Unsatisfied with one run, Kaitlyn Cook drew another walk to load the bases with two outs followed by Danielle Serna hitting an infield single to score Matsubara and give the Rams a 2-0 lead.

Serna would continue to be a top producer at the plate for Colorado State as the next three RBIs all came off her bat. Hitting a two-run home run in the third and lacing a single to left field in the fifth, the Rams found themselves feeding off the senior's energy throughout the inning as Jetta Nannen would net two more runs for the Rams in the fifth, making in 7-1 CSU.

"Nelly is just such a hard worker and has great expectations of herself," Fisher said. "She is such a great leader and her calmness, and her demeanor is just something we need out there in whatever position she is at."

Adding one more run of insurance off an Allen solo home run in the sixth, the Rams ran away with game two by a score of 8-1. Getting the win for Colorado State in the circle was emerging ace Sydney Hornbuckle who went all seven innings only allowing five hits and one earned run.

The Rams will compete in the Cal Baptist Classic Championship game against the winner of Cal State Northridge and Cal Baptist tomorrow afternoon at approximately 1:30 p.m.

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results