Northern Colorado Tops UC Riverside to Wrap Opening Weekend

Sunday, February 8

Los Angeles, Calif.

11:30 a.m. MST | 10:30 a.m. PST

University of Northern Colorado

2-3

UC Riverside

1-3

UC Riverside

Northern Colorado

2/8/2026 2:30:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

By: Brooke Richards, Director of Strategic Communications

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Northern Colorado softball closed opening weekend with an 8-5 win over UC Riverside Sunday morning at Easton Stadium, moving to 2-3 on the year.

Northern Colorado jumped in front immediately in the opening frame when Ella Gonzales launched a solo home run to center field to put UNC on the board. The Bears continued to build momentum in the second, as KK Christie and Hayden Nelson went back-to-back with solo home runs to push the lead to 3-0.

UC Riverside responded with two runs in the third, but Northern Colorado answered right back in the bottom half. After Krista Francia doubled to open the inning, Gonzales reached on an error to bring in a run before Katie Walling delivered a two-run home run to left-center, extending the Bears' lead to 6-2.

Nelson added another solo homer in the fourth to make it 7-2, and UNC followed with an RBI single from Amailee Morales later in the inning to stretch the advantage to 8-2.

UC Riverside chipped away late, scoring two runs in the sixth and one in the seventh, but Ellyse Hydock held firm in relief to close out the win. Hydock earned the victory after working four innings, allowing three runs while keeping the Highlanders in check down the stretch. Anna Wilming provided a solid start, going three innings and striking out one.

Northern Colorado finished the game with 10 hits, highlighted by home runs from Gonzales, Walling, Christie and Nelson, who went 3-for-3 with two RBIs. Francia, Christie and Morales also added multi-hit performances as the Bears wrapped the weekend with a strong offensive showing.

RECORD WATCH: Amailee Morales ranks 1st all-time in doubles (45), 1st in home runs (29) and walks (87), 2nd in RBIs (121, program record is 122), 11th in hits (146), 4th in total bases (282) and 6th in putouts (609), while Ella Gonzales sits 11th in RBIs (77), 11th in walks (50), 11th in home runs (14) and 7th in hit by pitch (18) as both continue to climb the Northern Colorado career charts.

DUE UP: GRAND CANYON INVITE
Phoenix, Ariz. | GCU Softball Stadium

Friday, Feb. 13
vs. South Dakota – 10 a.m. MT
at Grand Canyon – 4 p.m. MT

Saturday, Feb. 14
at Grand Canyon – 5 p.m. MT
vs. Harvard – 7:30 p.m. MT

Sunday, Feb. 15
vs. Harvard – 2 p.m. MT

FOLLOW THE BEARS: For the latest news and updates on Northern Colorado Softball, visit UNCBears.com and follow the team on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram at @UNC_BearsSB, and on Facebook at /UNCBearsSB.