Softball's Bats Blast Explorers in Second Day of Lobo Classic

Saturday, February 29

Albuquerque, N.M.

10:30 am

University of Northern Colorado

4-14

South Dakota

11-8

Northern Colorado

South Dakota

Photo by: Dean Popejoy

2/29/2020 5:36:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Northern Colorado split games Saturday

By: Matthew Kushar, UNCBears.com

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – Northern Colorado softball was back for day two of the Lobo Classic and would go 1-1. UNC's offense exploded against La Salle for a 16-2 win in the afternoon. The Bears dropped an extra-innings game to South Dakota, 5-4, in the morning.

Bears vs. Yotes
Erin Caviness was in the circle for the Bears after a solid day of work on Friday. South Dakota had Alexis Devers opposing Caviness.

Neither team scored in the first inning, but USD would get on the board in the bottom of the second with an RBI single.

In the top of the fourth, UNC was threating with the bases loaded and one out. The Bears hitters could not come up with the clutch hit and the score remained 1-0 Yotes.

USD would knock in a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth with RBI singles. UNC was in the hole, 3-0 after four innings.

Mady Young would cut the Yotes lead in the top of the fifth, blasting her first home run of the season with Alyssa Wenzel on base. The gap closed to 3-2 for the Bears.

Caviness would shut the door on USD in the bottom of the fifth, with two strikeouts in the inning.

Now in the top of the sixth, UNC tied the game on an RBI single from Paola Villegas to score Brandi Haller. Following a double from Katie Simonsgaard, Bridgette Strobl field out to right field and allowed Villegas to score. The Bears had come from behind and led the Yotes, 4-3.

UNC looked to add insurance runs in the top of the seventh but would again leave the bases loaded.

USD then tied the game in the bottom of the seventh with a solo home run. The game moved to extra innings.

After UNC could not score in the top of the eighth, the Yotes used an RBI single to walk-off the Bears in the 5-4 win.

Caviness took the loss after pitching 7.1 innings with four earned runs. She struck out an impressive eight batters and allowed no walks.

Bears vs. Explorers
Maggie Thurston was in the circle for the Bears and she faced La Salle's Kelly Toomey.

Paola Villegas started the Bears offense in the top of the first inning, launching her second home run of the season and scoring two runs.

UNC would add to the lead in the top of the second as Alyssa Wenzel hit her first career home run, a two-run shot to right field. The Bears continued to hit, as Mady Young singled into center and scored Lauren Strathearn. It was 5-0 UNC after one and half innings.

Katie Simonsgaard would get in on the action with an RBI triple in the top of the third to score Natalie Joyner. The Bears continued to build the lead, now leading 6-0.

La Salle got on the board in the bottom of the third with a single up the middle to score one run.

The game settled into a pitching duel for the next two innings, but the Bears lineup would get back to work in the top of the sixth. Bridgette Strobl followed Wenzel's lead and hit her first career home run to lead off the inning. Young would then hit her second, two-run home run of the day and UNC's lead had ballooned to 9-1.

The Explorers scored a run in the bottom of the sixth to end the Bears' hopes of using the run rule to end the game early. Taylor Puga came in to relieve Thurston in the game and retired the Explorers in the inning.

In the top of the seventh, UNC's offense was truly unstoppable. The Bears scored seven runs on five hits and were assisted by two La Salle errors. The offensive explosion was highlighted by RBI singles from Young, Villegas and Joyner.

Puga would close out La Salle in the bottom of the seventh with three groundouts to secure a 16-2 win. Thurston earned the win after pitching five innings and allowing two earned runs.

Game Notes

UNC's batters combined to walk seven times, while striking out only three times in 71 total at-bats between the two games.
Mady Young went 5-for-9 on Saturday, with two home runs, four runs scored and six RBIs.
Natalie Joyner went 4-for-9 with two runs scored and one RBI for the day.
Reyna Caudillo went 3-for-7 with one RBI and one run scored.
The Bears committed only two errors combined in the two games.
In two starts at catcher, Bridgette Strobl went 2-for-6 with one home run, two runs scored and two RBIs. She had nine putouts and three assists behind the plate.
With her second win of the season, Maggie Thurston has already matched her total from her freshman season. She is 2-2 this season after going 2-9 last season.