Recap: @bearssoftball Drop Game Against CSU 9-4

Tuesday, February 27

Fort Collins, CO

3 pm

University of Northern Colorado

8-8

Colorado State University

8-1

Northern Colorado

Colorado State

2/27/2018 7:35:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

Northern Colorado's offense could not match the Rams in Fort Collins

By: Matthew Kushar, UNCBears.com

FORT COLLINS, Colo.- Northern Colorado softball was unable to match the offensive output from Colorado State and lost 9-4 on Tuesday afternoon.

Valerie Vidal was in the circle for UNC and would dual against CSU's Kaylynn Pierce. Madi Schmidt singled to lead-off the game and advanced to third after Kaley Garcia connected for a single. A groundout from Lauren Paige would allow Schmidt to score and UNC jumped ahead 1-0.

Pierce would settle in and retire the next eight Bears in a row. Vidal was cruising through the first two innings, allowing only a pair of baserunners.

In the bottom of the third inning, Sarah Muzik tripled with one out and then scored on a Haley Donaldson sacrifice fly. The game was now tied at one after three innings.

CSU started the bottom of the fourth inning with back-to-back home runs from Hannah McCorkhill and Madison Kilcrease to take the lead. The Rams were not done in the inning, after a UNC error allowed another run to score and CSU raced out to a 4-1 lead.

UNC was threatening in the top of the fifth with Emma Brockmann and Kenzie Kudrna both getting base hits to put two on. The Bears were not able to get any more hits in the inning and both runners were stranded.

Now in the bottom of the fifth, CSU would extend to the lead on a Pierce single to left that brought two runs home. UNC was looking at a 6-1 deficit going to the sixth inning.

The Bears closed the gap on the Rams in the top of the sixth inning when Mady Young got a leadoff walk. Paige would single to move Young to second and then Jordyn Wiatrak doubled to left field to score Young. After the Sophia Taylor walked to load the bases, Brockmann stepped up and hit a single to score two more runs for the Bears. UNC had cut the lead to 6-4 after six innings. The team scored three runs on three hits during the inning.

Vidal would exit the game to start the bottom and of the sixth and was replaced in the circle by Paige. After getting the first out, CSU hit three consecutive singles to get back one of run. A Rams ground out would allow another run to score, followed by a McCorkhill single into center field that rebuilt the lead for CSU. The Rams had a 9-4 advantage going to the top of the seventh inning.

Young would get a single with one out the seventh, but UNC couldn't manage any more offense and CSU won the game 9-4.

Northern Colorado could not control the Ram's lineup and surrendered nine runs on 12 hits. The Bear's lineup managed four runs on nine hits and they did not put enough hits together to manufacturing enough offense to keep pace with CSU.

In their words
Shana Easley, Head Coach
On the game
"I think our conservativeness through the middle of the game cost us several runs. We weren't playing as aggressive as we have been lately. We let pitches go by and not making them beat us at our best, costing us several runs."

On Valerie's game
"She needs to go to her power or go-to pitchers for the majority of the time. We got away from that during the middle of the game. She was going to her second and third best pitches instead of beating them with our best."

On the lineup
"It comes from within our hitters and going out there thinking you're hitting until you're not and not vice versa. That got us in trouble and when they brought out the new pitcher we came out aggressive and ready to hit, swinging freely. We weren't't in that mentality for the majority of the game."

Notes

Emma Brockmann went 2-for-3 in the game and had two RBIs. Brockmann is tied with Jordyan Wiatrak for team high with 10 RBIs.
Lauren Paige went 2-for-4 against the Rams and raised her batting average to .405 for the season.

Next Up
Northern Colorado will travel to Fayetteville, Ark. for the Razorback Invitational, hosted by the University of Arkansas. UNC will play two against the Razorbacks(3/2, 3/4), as well as two against Central Connecticut State (3/2-3/3) and one against Dartmouth (3/3).