Recap: @bearssoftball Falls to CSU in Five Innings

Tuesday, April 3

Greeley, CO

4 pm

University of Northern Colorado

22-18

Colorado State

19-10

Colorado State

Northern Colorado

Photo by: Dean Popejoy

4/3/2018 8:50:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

Colorado State took the season series from Northern Colorado with a 9-1 win on Tuesday Afternoon

By: Matthew Kushar, UNCBears.com

GREELEY, Colo.- Northern Colorado softball struggled against Colorado State for the second time this season and lost 9-1 in five innings.

Kelli Kleis got the nod in the circle for the Bears and faced the Ram's Allison Petty. CSU started early against Kleis with back-to-back doubles in the top of the first to score two runs. The Rams would add another run on a passed ball and UNC was in an early 3-0 hole.

Madi Schmidt and Mady Young both reached base to lead off the bottom of the first with a walk and single respectively. Both Schmidt and Young were stranded on base, as the Bears could not come up with a hit to bring them home.

CSU added to its lead in the top of the second with a single from Lauren Buchanan that platted two runs for the Rams. The Bears were now trailing 5-0 after two innings.

In the bottom of the third inning, UNC put a run on the board after Kenzie Kudrna grounded into a fielder's choice that allowed Jordyn Wiatrak to score and the Bears trailed 5-1. The Bears missed an opportunity in the inning to further close the gap after leaving the bases loaded.

Now in the top of the fourth inning, the Rams found their bats once again with four hits that scored three runs to build the advantage to 8-1.

The Rams would score their ninth run of the game in the top of the fifth by way of an RBI single from Danni Klein. The Bears now trailed by eight runs and the needed to score a run in the bottom half of the inning to prevent the eight run rule from coming into effect.

UNC looked to be in a good position when Wiatrak and Lauren Paige both walked to lead off the inning. Rachel Johnson would single to right field, but Wiatrak was tagged out after being caught in a pickle between third and home base. Paige and Johnson were both able to advance bases and
UNC had runners on second and third with one out. Kenzie Kudrna would manage an infield single to keep the inning going, but the ball was not hit deep enough to allow Paige to score. Emma Brockmann would pinch hit in the inning and would ground into a fielder's choice that resulted in Paige being tagged out at home. The game ended after Sophia Taylor grounded out to second base and CSU had a 9-1 victory over UNC to sweep the season series.

In their Words

Shana Easley, Head Coach

On the Game
"I think we came out kind of flat as a team. I really don't think we look like the team we usually are this year. We're usually aggressive and chomping at the bit and we didn't see that today and that was frustrating. Unfortunate, I don't think we learned throughout the game and adjusted to get better and it kept spiraling."

On Kelli starting
"We wanted to start Kelli and have her go since she hasn't thrown in a while. We wanted her to compete with a clean slate and watch her compete. We had a couple tough breaks on some hits."

On the lineup getting on base
"We had several moments where we had hitters up with runners on, but we didn't have that aggressive mindset that we usually have. We had too many people watching third strikes and second guessing ourselves. We have to get back to the aggressiveness that we normally have and hopefully this is just a fluke bump in the road and we can get back to a normal gameplay this weekend."

Kelli Kleis, Senior Pitcher

On starting game
"It felt good to be out there and starting. I felt decently sharp and able to get the job done, but things didn't go our way. I think we were set up for success and felt okay about it. My bullpens during the week have been feeling good so I felt confident going out there. If they need me out there again I feel confident doing that."

On the team and her approach at the plate
"I think we need to have a good approach up there. Next time what we can do is have a single pitch in mind to hit instead of getting deeper in counts. Staying ahead in the counts in important."

On reviewing the game and moving forward
"I think this is a game we are going to learn from and gain wisdom from our mistakes. But I don't think we can dwell on it, but use it as a learning experience."

Notes

Northern Colorado drew eight walks against CSU and struck out seven times. Madi Schmidt, Jordyn Wiatrak, and Lauren Paige all drew two walks apiece.
The Bears stranded 11 baserunners, while the Rams only stranded three.
The game against CSU marked the third time this season that UNC in less than seven innings lost due to the eight run rule. The Bears have won six games this season after leading an opponent by eight runs after five innings.

Next Up
Northern Colorado will return to Big Sky play and travel to Pocatello, Idaho for a three game series against Idaho State. The series starts with a doubleheader at 3 P.M. (MT) on Friday, April 6^th and completing on Saturday, April 7^th at 2 P.M.