BY: JOHN MURPHY
CSC Sports Information Director
LAKEWOOD, Colo. -- May 4, 2023 -- The Chadron State College softball team was defeated by the Regis Rangers 9-4 during their round one game of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in Lakewood, Colorado, Thursday morning.
Since the tournament is double elimination, the loss matches CSC up with the loser of Colorado Mesa and Colorado Christian tomorrow morning at 9 a.m.
The Eagles overall record drops to 27-25 on the season.
The Rangers started the scoring in the bottom of the third inning when a Mila Camps single scored Jessi Case.
CSC responded quickly in the next inning on a two-run homerun by Sloane Quijas, a senior from Erie, Colorado.
Quijas's homer scored herself and pinch runner Jaelyn Martinez-Lewis.
The bottom of the fourth inning saw six runs from Regis and two errors from the Chadron State defense.
Scoring started for the Rangers when the first error by the Chadron State defense allowed a runner to advance home, tying the game at two.
While facing the following batter, Abby Larsen, a wild pitch by CSC advanced runners to second and third base and scored another Ranger run.
Larsen reached on a fielder's choice two pitches later but an out was unable to be recorded on the play and a run scored, extending the Regis to 4-2.
After Chadron State recorded the first out of the inning on a throw home, the next batter for the Rangers hit an RBI single.
Leading 5-2, a bases loaded walk and another fielders choice where an out wasn't recorded added the other two runs of the inning for Regis.
The Eagles lowered the deficit to 7-3 after the top of the fifth inning.
Ashland Baca hit an grounder to the Ranger first basemen, who was unable to cleanly field the ball. Baca reached base safely while advancing Chloe Brown to third and scoring Aliyah Rothstein.
One more run was added by CSC in the top of the sixth inning on a Brady Laucomer solo homer.
The Rangers added two more security runs in the bottom of the sixth inning when Shayeln Allen snuck a two-run homer over the fence, finishing the games scoring with the score 9-4.
Tori Haug received the loss for CSC, dropping her record to 10-16. In 3.1 innings, Haug allowed seven hits and seven runs, six being unearned, while walking two batters and striking out three
Kenzi Garner pitched 2.2 innings in relief of Haug. Garner allowed two hits and walked one batter and had two unearned runs.
The Eagles had four runs, nine hits and two errors in the loss.