Two walk-off singles in one day was the ideal way to open the home schedule for the Skyhawks.
The Fort Lewis College softball team opened the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference slate and its home schedule with a doubleheader Friday against Black Hills State at Aspen Field on the FLC campus.
FLC junior Jeovanna Rios was the hero in Game 1, as her single in the bottom of the seventh inning scored Tristen Gilbert to give the Skyhawks a 7-6 victory. The second game went into extra innings tied at 2, and FLC senior second baseman Myndee Thompson got the game-winning hit with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. She singled up the middle, scoring senior right fielder Kaitlyn Bending from second to give FLC a 3-2 win.
“Lots of clutch hitting,” FLC head coach Kira Zeiter said of the two games. “We love playing at home with our support we get here in Durango. It was nice for our supporters to watch us play and enjoy in the excitement with us.”
The Skyhawks (4-9, 2-0 RMAC) went down 3-0 and 6-3 in the first game, but a two-run double off the bat of Lauren Caldwell in the bottom of the fifth inning helped FLC close the gap. Thompson and Missy Fundora both scored on Caldwell’s double.
Gilbert tied the game later in the fifth on a ground out to shortstop that was deep enough for Caldwell to score.
FLC allowed three runs to Black Hills State (1-6, 0-2 RMAC) in the first. Caldwell and Gilbert responded in the bottom half of the inning, with Caldwell singling home Adriana Rosthenhausler on a hit to center field and Gilbert following suit with another single to center to score Caldwell.
Caldwell finished 3-for-4 at the plate with two runs and three runs batted in. Gilbert, the team’s designated hitter, was 2-for-3 with two RBI.
FLC committed one fielding error in the game, leading to two runs for the Yellow Jackets.
Victoria Johnson (3-3) was the winning pitcher for FLC. She pitched a complete game, allowing nine hits and six runs – four earned – while striking out eight and walking three. She also hit one batter with a pitch.
Kiley Raica was the winning pitcher in Game 2, pitching all nine innings for her first win in four decisions this season. She allowed eight hits and struck out eight while refusing to allow a walk. She earned both runs that scored for the Yellow Jackets.
“When you can have pitchers throw complete games early in the conference season, it sets a tone,” Zeiter said. “The team then can expect them to be able to do that, and it helps everyone build confidence.”
Fundora and Gilbert also came up with an RBI each in the second game, with Fundora going 2-for-5 at the plate. FLC didn’t have an extra-base hit in Game 2 but found a way to win by staying clean defensively and coming up with timely hits.
“That’s the name of the game of softball: clutch hitting in key situations,” Zeiter said. “The team did a great job getting the job done when asked.”
Alexis Shaffer hit a two-run home run for the Yellow Jackets for their only runs of Game 2.
The two teams will meet up again for another doubleheader set to begin at 11 a.m. Saturday at Aspen Field.
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
