Rams Run Rule Utah State to take Game Two of Series

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Feb 6

10:30 AM

Softball

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Feb 6

1:00 PM

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vs Saint Mary's

Feb 7

10:30 AM

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Feb 7

3:30 PM

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Feb 8

10:30 AM

Softball

at Sacramento State

FORT COLLINS – The Colorado State softball team defeated Utah State Saturday afternoon in run rule fashion with the Rams bringing in a total of 13 runs in a five inning, 13-3 win.

Similar to game one, a five-run inning sparked the Rams offense to the win with Colorado State scoring first in the second inning when Molly Gates batted in Danielle Serna with an RBI single. It's safe to say Gates helped open the flood gates when the top of the lineup came back up to bat in the third inning.

"We do a lot of like good preparation for drop-ball pitches, rise ball pitchers and we know how to adjust where we need to," Gates said. "We're really good at communicating with each other what we're seeing and we're always just super confident in there that no matter what they were going to bring out next, we know how to adjust to it."

By the end of the game the top half of the lineup was 7-for-16 with six RBI and nine runs scored.

"The top of the lineup, I mean, Ashley and Maya are so smart as lefties and then we've got Peyton who was so smart as a righty and that just filters down to the rest of the team. I think less mature teams would allow a good at-bat with a so-called bad outcome trouble them and I think we've been working on this all the way since the fall of communicating and resetting, so the top of the order has just come up for us big time," head coach Jen Fisher said.

After the Aggies tied the game at one a piece in the third, Colorado State began their second time around the order in the top of the third. Breaking the tie was senior centerfielder Ashley York who hit a no-doubt home run over the right field wall. The first thing she did after stepping on home plate was deliver what she was seeing from the Utah State starting pitcher all the way down the lineup.

"I think that's something this offense is really good at, is passing information and talking to each other," York said. "It's almost just comforting that you have someone talking to you and spreading information to make that person better, so even if you didn't do a great job, you're still learning to make that at bat count."

And the information ran ramped as one run wasn't enough for the Rams in the third.

After Peyton Allen reached base with a single and was switched out at first base by Serna who reached on a fielder's choice, Gates reached base for the second time in the game with a four-ball walk. Sydney Hornbuckle loaded the bases drawing another walk herself, which brought up Hailey Smith.

Smith, who is making a gradual return to the field after an injury kept her sidelined through the opening of conference play, delivered without skipping a beat with a single to left center, scoring both Gates and Serna. A single from Brooke Bohlender and a two-out RBI single from Jailey Wilson made it a five-run inning for the Rams who now led 6-1.

The Aggies opted to make their first pitching change of the day to get the final out in the third.

Colorado State starting pitcher Danielle Serna returned to the circle with a five-run lead and still seemed unfazed when Utah State scored one run in the bottom of the third, knowing her offense was clicking.

"Nelly's a dog, everyone knows that," York said. "She's just going to fight, nothing is going to faze her and I think that that was really important today. It's so much fun to play with such a presence on the mound, and I don't think I can say enough about how she played today."

The Rams added three more runs in the top of the fourth when Hornbuckle hit a two-out three-run home run. Lacing a rope down the right field line, the ball went over the fence for Hornbuckle's fourth career home run and fourth home run in the last week.

This prompted the second pitching change of the afternoon for Utah State as the lead was at seven, just one run short of the run-rule mark.

Serna returned to the circle to throw a four-batter fourth inning and keep the pendulum swinging with the Rams.

"I think our defense and our pitching really helped us keep that momentum going when we were on offense and we're always working for one another and just trying to put up as many runs as you can for our pitchers," Gates said.

In the fifth, Colorado State put the game away with a bases-clearing double from Allen who scored Wilson, York and Matsubara just before Gates hit her third hit of the day, scoring Allen with a triple to left field.

Colorado State went on to take the 13-3 win in five innings after edging out the Aggies in just a one run game Friday.

"Yesterday's game, we knew that we had more in us and so it was just nice to come out here and show that today," Gates said. "We're going to come out confident again tomorrow and be ready, especially now that we've seen their whole pitching staff so that's a really good feeling that we worked for today."

Gates finished the day three for three with Allen, Hornbuckle and Wilson all totaling two hits as well. Serna took the win with 88 total pitches, recording eight flyouts, four groundouts and one strikeout.

"Yeah, I think Nelly really did a good job just being a totally different look today compared to yesterday and that's how her and Syd balance each other. She fields her position so well and attacks the zone and I think she looked really confident today," Fisher said.

The Rams will close out the series with Utah State Sunday afternoon with game three set to begin at noon mountain time.

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