Colorado State University Athletics
Sunday, February 25
Austin, TX
9:00 AM
Colorado State
1
vs
3
Stanford
Rams Fall in Extra-Inning Heartbreaker against No. 12 Stanford
2/25/2024 12:47:00 PM | Softball
Freshman pitcher Reagan Wick throws nine impressive innings in loss
AUSTIN, Tex. – In its final day of the Lone Star State Invitational hosted by Texas, the Colorado State softball team gave the No. 12 team in the country, the Stanford Cardinal, an extra inning scare as the Rams fell just short of the upset, dropping game five of the weekend 3-1 in nine innings.
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A pitching battle that the Rams will remember throughout the season started with Texas native Reagan Wick in the circle for Colorado State. As the Rams were entering their second game against Stanford of the weekend, the Cardinal had not seen Wick in the circle yet, making Wick's pitch mix, especially her change up, especially effective on the Stanford hitters.
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The Cardinal got on the board first with one run in the bottom of the second inning off the bat of Jade Berry, but a one run lead is where Wick held Stanford nearly the entire game.
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On offense, the Rams were tallying hits, even outhitting Stanford, but totaled 15 runners left on base by the end of the contest. It wasn't until the top of the fifth inning that the Rams were able to bring across a run.
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The inning began with a Maya Matsubara single up the middle followed by a Hailey Smith walk to give Colorado State base runners once again. Now with one out, Molly Gates delivered the game tying RBI with a single past the outstretched arm of the Stanford short stop. The slow rolling outfield single was no match for the speed of Matsubara who scored from second base to tie the game.
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At 1-1 the score would remain locked.
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In the top of the sixth, the Rams threatened again with junior Jordan West in scoring position with two outs and the heart of the order in Matsubara up at the plate. Stanford made the decision to make its third pitching change of the afternoon, entering its All-American pitcher, NiJaree Canady who was coming off an eight inning win over No. 2 Texas the night before, to try and stop any momentum the Rams looking to gain. While Colorado State did not hang a run on Canady, they did draw two base runner from the ace pitcher.
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Wick would get out of another jam in the fifth inning with a strikeout and two Stanford pop ups before sacrificing only one hit in the sixth and pitching a one-two-three inning in the seventh. The game was set for extra innings, the first extra inning game for Colorado State this season.
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Starting the top of the eight with a runner on second, per international tie breaker rules, Morgan Coleman was the runner while head coach Jen Fisher called the name of Katelyn Hornbuckle to pinch hit at the plate. In her first at-bat of the season, Hornbuckle did exactly her job by laying now a perfect sacrifice bunt to advance Coleman to third base with only one out.
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West then drew a walk to put runners on the corners for the Rams. In a first and third situation, West took off for second, stealing the base, but Coleman was picked off at third by Stanford's golden-glove catcher, Aly Kaneshiro. A play that went to reply did not end in favor of the Rams as the Cardinal got out of the jam with a strikeout in Colorado State's next at-bat.
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Being held scoreless, the Rams' defense and Wick had to do the same to the ranked Cardinal offense in the bottom half of the frame to force another inning, which is exactly what they did. After Stanford bunted its runner into scoring position, similarly to the Rams, a called strike three strikeout via Wick's knee-buckling change up gave the Rams two outs. Wick then forced a fly ball to center field, grabbed by York and onto the ninth the game went.
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The top of the ninth brought the fourth pitching change for Stanford. The Cardinal had pulled their All-American in Canady for junior Kylie Chung. After Matsubara advanced the runner placed on second, York, to third via an infield groundout, the Rams had the go ahead run once again 60 feet away. In the next at-bat, Chung forced Hailey Smith to groundout, unable to score York.
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Austin native, Danielle Serna stepped to the plate next, but wasn't given much of an opportunity to be the hero before she was hit by a pitch on her left leg, putting two runners on. Chung then came through with a game saving strikeout against Gates to hold the Rams scoreless once again.
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The bottom of the ninth proved more successful for Stanford as the Cardinal was able to walk-off their second consecutive game in extra innings with a Berry home run to right field. The Rams would finish the weekend 0-5, but not without leaving with new confidence and wisdom as they travel back home to host back-to-back weekends in Fort Collins.
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Colorado State will host the Colorado Classic March 1-3 before hosting the Rams Invitational March 8-10 over the next two weekends of play.
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A pitching battle that the Rams will remember throughout the season started with Texas native Reagan Wick in the circle for Colorado State. As the Rams were entering their second game against Stanford of the weekend, the Cardinal had not seen Wick in the circle yet, making Wick's pitch mix, especially her change up, especially effective on the Stanford hitters.
Â
The Cardinal got on the board first with one run in the bottom of the second inning off the bat of Jade Berry, but a one run lead is where Wick held Stanford nearly the entire game.
Â
On offense, the Rams were tallying hits, even outhitting Stanford, but totaled 15 runners left on base by the end of the contest. It wasn't until the top of the fifth inning that the Rams were able to bring across a run.
Â
The inning began with a Maya Matsubara single up the middle followed by a Hailey Smith walk to give Colorado State base runners once again. Now with one out, Molly Gates delivered the game tying RBI with a single past the outstretched arm of the Stanford short stop. The slow rolling outfield single was no match for the speed of Matsubara who scored from second base to tie the game.
Â
At 1-1 the score would remain locked.
Â
In the top of the sixth, the Rams threatened again with junior Jordan West in scoring position with two outs and the heart of the order in Matsubara up at the plate. Stanford made the decision to make its third pitching change of the afternoon, entering its All-American pitcher, NiJaree Canady who was coming off an eight inning win over No. 2 Texas the night before, to try and stop any momentum the Rams looking to gain. While Colorado State did not hang a run on Canady, they did draw two base runner from the ace pitcher.
Â
Wick would get out of another jam in the fifth inning with a strikeout and two Stanford pop ups before sacrificing only one hit in the sixth and pitching a one-two-three inning in the seventh. The game was set for extra innings, the first extra inning game for Colorado State this season.
Â
Starting the top of the eight with a runner on second, per international tie breaker rules, Morgan Coleman was the runner while head coach Jen Fisher called the name of Katelyn Hornbuckle to pinch hit at the plate. In her first at-bat of the season, Hornbuckle did exactly her job by laying now a perfect sacrifice bunt to advance Coleman to third base with only one out.
Â
West then drew a walk to put runners on the corners for the Rams. In a first and third situation, West took off for second, stealing the base, but Coleman was picked off at third by Stanford's golden-glove catcher, Aly Kaneshiro. A play that went to reply did not end in favor of the Rams as the Cardinal got out of the jam with a strikeout in Colorado State's next at-bat.
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Being held scoreless, the Rams' defense and Wick had to do the same to the ranked Cardinal offense in the bottom half of the frame to force another inning, which is exactly what they did. After Stanford bunted its runner into scoring position, similarly to the Rams, a called strike three strikeout via Wick's knee-buckling change up gave the Rams two outs. Wick then forced a fly ball to center field, grabbed by York and onto the ninth the game went.
Â
The top of the ninth brought the fourth pitching change for Stanford. The Cardinal had pulled their All-American in Canady for junior Kylie Chung. After Matsubara advanced the runner placed on second, York, to third via an infield groundout, the Rams had the go ahead run once again 60 feet away. In the next at-bat, Chung forced Hailey Smith to groundout, unable to score York.
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Austin native, Danielle Serna stepped to the plate next, but wasn't given much of an opportunity to be the hero before she was hit by a pitch on her left leg, putting two runners on. Chung then came through with a game saving strikeout against Gates to hold the Rams scoreless once again.
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The bottom of the ninth proved more successful for Stanford as the Cardinal was able to walk-off their second consecutive game in extra innings with a Berry home run to right field. The Rams would finish the weekend 0-5, but not without leaving with new confidence and wisdom as they travel back home to host back-to-back weekends in Fort Collins.
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Colorado State will host the Colorado Classic March 1-3 before hosting the Rams Invitational March 8-10 over the next two weekends of play.
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Players Mentioned
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
P/INF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
P
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