Recap: @bearssoftball Falls in a Heartbreaker to Loyola Marymount

Wednesday, May 16

Greeley, CO

6 PM

University of Northern Colorado

28-27

Loyola Marymount

29-23-1

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Northern Colorado	0	1	2	0	0	1	0	4	6	1
Loyola Marymount	0	0	0	0	0	7	X	7	12	0

Photo by: Dean Popejoy

5/16/2018 10:31:00 PM | Softball

Box Score NISC Brackets

Northern Colorado lost its first game of the NISC 7-4

By: Matthew Kushar, UNCBears.com

GREELEY, Colo.- Northern Colorado softball's fortunes changed quickly on Wednesday, as Loyola Marymount came from behind to top the Bears 7-4 in the first round of the National Invitational Softball Championship. LMU scored seven runs in the bottom of the sixth that gave them the win over UNC.

Valerie Vidal started for the Bears in the circle against LMU's Hannah Bandimere in both teams' first game of the tournament. UNC scored first in the top of the second inning when Mady Young led off the game with a single to left field. Rachel Johnson would walk and both her and Young would steal a base to put two on with no outs. Cheyenne Talmadge managed to hit an infield single that scored Young and UNC had a 1-0 lead.

In the top of the third, Madi Schmidt led off the inning with a walk and Kaley Garcia would single, advancing to second on the throw for two on with one out. Lauren Paige would step up to the plate and deliver a single up the middle to score Schmidt and Garcia. The Bears extended their lead to 3-0. Bandimere was replaced during the inning by Linnay Wilson.

Vidal was sharp, keep the Lions scoreless in the first five innings. UNC added to its lead in the top of the sixth when Emma Brockmann doubled to right center that scored Young.

The bottom of the sixth is where the game got away from Vidal and the Bears. LMU started the inning with four straight hits that scored three runs and cut the UNC lead to one. Sabrina Tebou would deliver the big hit for the Lions, with a grand slam against Vidal to take a 7-4 lead over the Bears.

Wilson recorded a one-two-three inning in the top of the seventh to give LMU the win. Wilson had been key for the Lions, pitching 4.1 innings and recording eight strikeouts, while allowing a single run.

In their words

Shana Easley, Head Coach
"I don't think she was tired. They got a couple of hits in that inning, but they weren't hard hits. We started putting people on base and we knew it was a tight strike zone all game. We have to be better at moving pitches through that kind of zone with the added pressure with runners on. She can do that, but we had a mistake and they took advantage. I trusted Val to get it done, even when they got runs and we had full confidence."

Valerie Vidal, Pitcher
"I threw a lot of risers to her. She has seen it before and everyone has. It was flat and she got a hold of it. We're excited to have CSU again. We have played them several times and fallen short. But this is when it counts. It was preseason before and it was just practice. Now we have to have the mentality of winning every pitch and inning to go get them."

Notes

Valerie Vidal set a new program record for strikeouts in a single season with 159, with the previous record being 158.
Rachel Johnson recorded her second career stolen base in the top of the second.
Lauren Paige's single in the top of the third inning ended a 15-at bat hitless streak.

Up Next
Northern Colorado will now be in the loser bracket of the NISC regional where they will play Colorado State, Thursday at 12 P.M. (MT). CSU swept the season series against UNC.