By: Kaleb Center, CSC Sports Information
CHADRON, Neb. – April 8, 2021 – The Chadron State College softball team heads to Alamosa, Colorado, this weekend, for a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Saturday-Sunday showdown with Adams State University. The Eagles are 7-17 overall, and 7-13 in the conference.
At 7-19 overall, and 7-17 in RMAC play, the Grizzlies are similarly positioned to the Eagles, needing back in the win column in order to contend for one of the top six spots in the league and qualify for postseason play.
In it's most recent series, Adams lost a road series 3-1 to Colorado School of Mines. ASU lost the first three games by run rule, but finished on a high note with a 6-2 win in Golden.
ASU has done reasonably well in the batter's box, hitting .300 as a team, but struggles in the pitching circle with the league's highest ERA.
Seven different players have appeared in the lineup at pitcher for the Grizzlies, with five of those pitching at least seven innings. Sophomore Jade Garbiso has started the series openers in three of the past four weekends, but occasionally her sister, freshman Jasmine Garbiso, has been the No. 1. Jade leads the pitching unit with a 5.78 earned runs average and 36 strikeouts.
Freshman Breck Smith, who was batting .424 last year before the season was suspended, has come back to a more modest .302 clip in 2021. Senior infielder Tyler Hays, who was also above .400 last year, is down to .343. Hays was an All-RMAC honorable mention selection in 2018, when she batted .361 for the season.
The Grizzlies' leading batters are freshman outfielder Belinda Vargas, at .370, and Jade Garbiso, at .355.
The two teams last met March 16-17, in a "pod" series intended to be played in Chadron, but moved to Pueblo, Colorado instead. The two-game series between ASU and CSC was a split, with the Eagles edging the Grizzlies 4-3 on Saturday, and the Grizzlies returning the favor in nine innings on Sunday, 5-4.
Assistant coach Kayla Campuzano, then CSC catcher Kayla Michel, provided the game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the fourth in the Saturday win. The Eagles out-hit the Grizzlies 10 to 6 on Sunday, but committed a fielding error in the top of the ninth to allow ASU the winning run.
Senior Bailey Rominger is 13-of-32 at the plate for Chadron State, good for a .402 average, while sophomore Bailey Marvel follows at .366 on 30-for-82 batting. Freshman Jessie Henchenski is also on a nice pace hitting 14-for-40 for a .350 average.
Sophomore pitcher Peyton Propp leads the Eagles bullpen with a 5.22 ERA and 48 Ks.
Games begin at noon on Saturday and 11 a.m. on Sunday, with doubleheaders both days.