Colorado State University Athletics
Friday, March 31
Fort Collins, CO
4:00 PM
Colorado State
17-10, 3-3
12
vs
13
UNLV
16-17, 2-6
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
UNLV
2
2
0
0
1
7
0
0
1
13
13
3
Colorado State
0
0
4
0
0
5
3
0
0
12
10
1
Rams Rally Comes Up Short
3/31/2023 9:17:00 PM | Softball
Hosts for extras before falling to UNLV
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – There's something about Ram grit with every Colorado State team. Softball is no different.
The Rams rallied from an eight-run deficit in the final two innings to force extras but eventually fell to the UNLV Lady Rebels 13-12 in nine innings. Down 12-4 in the sixth inning after a seven-run pile-on by the UNLV Lady Rebels (16-17, 2-6), an outsider could write this one off. However, the Rams (17-10, 3-3) were carrying an eraser.
"I said we got to score one," head coach Jen Fisher said with a chuckle. "We've got to score one and keep this game alive. Of course, they did a fantastic job."
The Rams responded brilliantly after an onslaught of seven runs in the top of the sixth inning by the Lady Rebels to extend their lead, answering with five of their own in the bottom half.
They couldn't have done so without veteran leader Ashley York. York has been through the ebbs and flows with this softball program for several years and knew what it took to get right back in it.
"That game was just us being us, and it was incredible," York said. "Last year we wouldn't have come back, we wouldn't have played eight or nine innings. We would've fallen off in the third or after a seven-run inning."
It seemed as if Colorado State was playing catch-up from the get-go as pitching from Sydney Hornbuckle went south. She gave up four runs in the first two innings on four hits.
This put the Rams in a hole to which they responded in the third inning. This included York's first of many opportunities at the plate and Kaitlyn Cook looping one into left field to tie the game.
"It's a credit to our offense and this team and their fight," Cook said. "We kept talking about what this game meant, playing for something bigger than ourselves, representing what we're choosing to represent. It's crazy to see how we've grown and evolved."
Cook's two RBI tied the game in the third and kept things close until the wild sixth inning. Molly Gates also continued her successful tenure as a Ram going 3-for-5 with two runs and an RBI.
Despite the chaotic occurrences facing the Rams, they weren't fazed. The elements and wild nature of the game going nine innings even allowed them to break in the new lights a night early.
"This whole year, we've handled some weather that we've embraced," Cook said. "We were just at Boise last weekend and had what we would describe as someone shaking a snow globe, but I don't feel the weather ever really plays a role on us."
Maybe the weather was all part of the plan for the grand opening weekend of the new Ram Field. There was everything from wild pitches to even a catcher's interference during the four-run third inning for the Rams.
Colorado State had three separate occasions of having the bases loaded and the chance to bring in some runs, two of them coming with no outs in the inning. While luck wasn't on their side Friday night, it's part of the plan of bringing in runs.
"We know that if we get traffic on the bases, you can make something happen," Fisher said. "A walk, a little dink hit, big innings can come. I was really proud of the way we battled back. I actually feel comfortable as I've felt just knowing we're going to come back."
Part of the comeback included the ridiculousness of the seventh inning, one of the three times the Rams had the bases loaded. In the heart of the order, several stepped up and delivered.
York went 3-for-3 on the evening with five RBI and also scored two runs. This was thanks to a monstrous grand slam to cut the lead down to four which had emotions running wild.
"For me, it was pretty emotional. I was playing for something bigger," York said. "I was playing for my grandma, who I lost last week. It was so fun to see everyone around home plate and just a great feeling."
Hailey Smith also followed suit of York's grand slam with her own solo shot deep to left field with the help of the wind taking it far over the fence. It gave Colorado State life heading into the final stretch.
In the seventh inning down three runs, a sacrifice fly from York brought in the tying run from Peyton Allen who reached third after an errant throw to the plate caught everyone off guard. Danielle Serna also played a big part in the seventh and eighth innings at the mound, with the only hit given up being the go-ahead home run in the ninth inning to Janyssa Martin.
While it may have sunk the Rams into the loss category, she didn't let it get her hopes down and had a rallying cry for the entire team heading into the rest of the series and the official grand opening and first game under the lights.
"The big takeaway is how much this team fights," Fisher said. "I think Nelly said it best in the team huddle, that she loves everyone, every player loves each other deeply. They think this is the best fighting team they've been around. We just need to play with confidence and maturity.
"We will battle through adversity," she continued. "What Nelly said is this team is as good of any team she's been a part of. We'll come back tomorrow, we'll see a lot of the same things. It'll probably be a slugfest for the rest of the weekend."
The Rams rallied from an eight-run deficit in the final two innings to force extras but eventually fell to the UNLV Lady Rebels 13-12 in nine innings. Down 12-4 in the sixth inning after a seven-run pile-on by the UNLV Lady Rebels (16-17, 2-6), an outsider could write this one off. However, the Rams (17-10, 3-3) were carrying an eraser.
"I said we got to score one," head coach Jen Fisher said with a chuckle. "We've got to score one and keep this game alive. Of course, they did a fantastic job."
The Rams responded brilliantly after an onslaught of seven runs in the top of the sixth inning by the Lady Rebels to extend their lead, answering with five of their own in the bottom half.
They couldn't have done so without veteran leader Ashley York. York has been through the ebbs and flows with this softball program for several years and knew what it took to get right back in it.
"That game was just us being us, and it was incredible," York said. "Last year we wouldn't have come back, we wouldn't have played eight or nine innings. We would've fallen off in the third or after a seven-run inning."
It seemed as if Colorado State was playing catch-up from the get-go as pitching from Sydney Hornbuckle went south. She gave up four runs in the first two innings on four hits.
This put the Rams in a hole to which they responded in the third inning. This included York's first of many opportunities at the plate and Kaitlyn Cook looping one into left field to tie the game.
"It's a credit to our offense and this team and their fight," Cook said. "We kept talking about what this game meant, playing for something bigger than ourselves, representing what we're choosing to represent. It's crazy to see how we've grown and evolved."
Cook's two RBI tied the game in the third and kept things close until the wild sixth inning. Molly Gates also continued her successful tenure as a Ram going 3-for-5 with two runs and an RBI.
Despite the chaotic occurrences facing the Rams, they weren't fazed. The elements and wild nature of the game going nine innings even allowed them to break in the new lights a night early.
"This whole year, we've handled some weather that we've embraced," Cook said. "We were just at Boise last weekend and had what we would describe as someone shaking a snow globe, but I don't feel the weather ever really plays a role on us."
Maybe the weather was all part of the plan for the grand opening weekend of the new Ram Field. There was everything from wild pitches to even a catcher's interference during the four-run third inning for the Rams.
Colorado State had three separate occasions of having the bases loaded and the chance to bring in some runs, two of them coming with no outs in the inning. While luck wasn't on their side Friday night, it's part of the plan of bringing in runs.
"We know that if we get traffic on the bases, you can make something happen," Fisher said. "A walk, a little dink hit, big innings can come. I was really proud of the way we battled back. I actually feel comfortable as I've felt just knowing we're going to come back."
Part of the comeback included the ridiculousness of the seventh inning, one of the three times the Rams had the bases loaded. In the heart of the order, several stepped up and delivered.
York went 3-for-3 on the evening with five RBI and also scored two runs. This was thanks to a monstrous grand slam to cut the lead down to four which had emotions running wild.
"For me, it was pretty emotional. I was playing for something bigger," York said. "I was playing for my grandma, who I lost last week. It was so fun to see everyone around home plate and just a great feeling."
Hailey Smith also followed suit of York's grand slam with her own solo shot deep to left field with the help of the wind taking it far over the fence. It gave Colorado State life heading into the final stretch.
In the seventh inning down three runs, a sacrifice fly from York brought in the tying run from Peyton Allen who reached third after an errant throw to the plate caught everyone off guard. Danielle Serna also played a big part in the seventh and eighth innings at the mound, with the only hit given up being the go-ahead home run in the ninth inning to Janyssa Martin.
While it may have sunk the Rams into the loss category, she didn't let it get her hopes down and had a rallying cry for the entire team heading into the rest of the series and the official grand opening and first game under the lights.
"The big takeaway is how much this team fights," Fisher said. "I think Nelly said it best in the team huddle, that she loves everyone, every player loves each other deeply. They think this is the best fighting team they've been around. We just need to play with confidence and maturity.
"We will battle through adversity," she continued. "What Nelly said is this team is as good of any team she's been a part of. We'll come back tomorrow, we'll see a lot of the same things. It'll probably be a slugfest for the rest of the weekend."
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: ZELLIEN, Ellie (5-3)
L: Serna, Danielle (7-3)
Batting:
2B: MARTINEZ, Ariana 1
3B: SCHMIDT, Maddie 1 ; VISSER, April 1
HR: ARMENDARIZ, Denise 1 ; MARTIN, Janyssa 1
RBI: SCHMIDT, Maddie 2 ; VISSER, April 2 ; MARTINEZ, Ariana 2 ; KELSO, Kelsie 1 ; ARMENDARIZ, Denise 4 ; MARTIN, Janyssa 1
SH: SCHMALTZ, Hailey 1
Base Running:
RUNS: SCHMIDT, Maddie 2 ; VISSER, April 4 ; BOWMAN, Marissa 1 ; BARKER, Lauryn 1 ; ARMENDARIZ, Denise 1 ; MARTIN, Janyssa 2 ; SHAW, Skyler 2
SB: SHAW, Skyler 1
HBP: SHAW, Skyler 1 ; ZELLIEN, Ellie 1
Batting:
2B: Gates, Molly 2
HR: York, Ashley 1 ; Smith, Hailey 1
RBI: Gates, Molly 1 ; York, Ashley 5 ; Smith, Hailey 2 ; Cook, Kaitlyn 2
SF: York, Ashley 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Gates, Molly 2 ; Allen, Peyton 2 ; York, Ashley 2 ; Coleman, Morgan 1 ; Smith, Hailey 1 ; Matsubara, Maya 1 ; Bohlender, Brooke 1 ; Crosby, Morgan 1 ; West, Jordan 1
SB: Matsubara, Maya 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
2
H
3
RBI
5
AB
5
R
2
H
2
RBI
1
1b/p
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
P/UT
/ SoftballP/INF
/ SoftballOF
/ SoftballOF
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