Rams Edge Bears 5-4 in Colorado DI Classic Finale

Sunday, March 1

Fort Collins, Colo.

1:30 p.m. MST

University of Northern Colorado

8-12

Colorado State

9-10

Northern Colo.

Colorado State

Photo by: Jesus Ayala, UNC Athletics

3/1/2026 5:48:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

By: Brooke Richards, Director of Strategic Communications

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Northern Colorado closed the Colorado Classic DI Tournament with a hard-fought 5-4 loss to Colorado State Sunday afternoon at Ram Field. The Bears led early and battled back into scoring position late, but a pair of solo home runs proved to be the difference as CSU edged out the finale.

Northern Colorado jumped on the board first with a three-run top of the first. After Amailee Morales worked a walk, Katie Walling singled to put two aboard before Ella Gonzales ripped a double into left center to set the table. KK Christie followed with a two-run single to left center, scoring Walling and Gonzales, and Hayden Nelson kept the inning rolling with an RBI double down the left-field line to bring Christie home for a 3-0 lead.

Colorado State answered quickly in the bottom half, using an RBI double from Madi Eslinger to cut the margin to 3-1 while Northern Colorado limited further damage with a key out at the plate to end the inning.

The Rams chipped away in the third when Eslinger delivered an RBI single to score Jailey Wilson and make it 3-2. Northern Colorado responded in the fourth with an unearned run. Nelson singled, advanced into scoring position, and eventually came home on Jazzy Longo's sacrifice fly to center to push the Bears back in front, 4-2.

Colorado State continued to pressure with traffic in the fourth, plating a run on a fielder's choice to trim it to 4-3, before tying the game in the fifth on a solo home run from Eslinger.
With the score even, CSU took its first lead in the bottom of the sixth on a solo home run from Lauren Stucky, giving the Rams a 5-4 advantage.

Northern Colorado threatened in the sixth and again in the seventh, getting runners aboard with singles and walks, but CSU's Reagan Wick was able to work out of trouble in relief to close the game. Wick earned the win after entering in the sixth and allowing just one hit while issuing three walks and striking out two in 1.2 innings.

Christie finished 1-for-2 with two RBIs and two walks, while Nelson went 2-for-4 with an RBI double. Francia added two hits, and Gonzales and Harrington each doubled as the Bears totaled nine hits on the day.

Anna Wilming started in the circle and went five innings before Ellyse Hydock took the loss in relief after CSU's go-ahead homer in the sixth.

DUE UP: Northern Colorado returns to Gloria Rodriguez Field next week to host the Colorado Classic Tournament, opening play Thursday, March 5, with a doubleheader against Kansas City.

Rally Starters Club: The Rally Starters Club is essential to the success of UNC Softball, providing enhanced training resources, advanced technology, and competitive travel opportunities that help the Bears compete at the highest level. These investments directly enrich the student-athlete experience and ensure the team is equipped to excel on and off the field.

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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.