Durango, Colorado – Improving to 12-1 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference is the Regis University Ranger softball team after taking two wins from the UC-Colorado Springs Mountain Lions (9-12, 7-9 RMAC) and the Fort Lewis Skyhawks (11-14, 9-5 RMAC) in the first day of the pod series in Durango, Colo.

Another come from behind victory for the Rangers came in the form of an 8-5 defeat over the Mountain Lions in the first game of the day. Four top of the seventh runs saved RU lifting them to victory.

 In RU's first at bat, sophomore Bradey King (Loveland, Colorado) singled to left and got the Rangers on the board scoring on a passed ball.  Senior Rachel Illias (Beaverton, Oregon), making her first appearance in the lineup this season, doubled to right center to bring another run in making the score 2-0.

Regis held UCCS scoreless until the bottom of the second when the Mountain Lions took a 5-2 lead from two doubles, a single, and a sacrifice fly.  Keeping UCCS within reach, the Rangers brought one across the plate in the third and fourth to bring the score to 5-4.

Two scoreless innings would follow in the fifth and sixth when Regis opened the sticks scoring four runs on three hits due in large part to the two-run homer by junior Nicole Hull (Westminster, Colorado).  King tallied the final RBI of the inning scoring sophomore Alyssa Finger (Las Vegas, Nevada) on a double to right center. 

Junior Nicole Aviles (Phoenix, Arizona) threw all seven innings for RU including closing out the final half inning without allowing any runs on one hit.  Aviles struckout five batters while allowing ten runs to earn the win and move to an overall record of 11-3.

The back and forth of the second game challenged the Rangers but another impressive all around effort took down Fort Lewis 6-5.  Both teams went scoreless throughout one inning of play before freshman Emily John (Beaverton, Oregon) doubled to center field to tally two RBI's on the at bat.

Sophomore Carlie Sexton (Littleton, Colorado) scored King in the top of third to give the Rangers a 3-0 lead.  On seven combined hits in the bottom of the third and fourth, the Skyhawks tied the game at 3-3.

From this point in the game, Regis would bring one across the plate and Fort Lewis would match it.  Sexton knocked one over the left field fence to score two and take a 6-4 lead in the top of the seventh.

The Skyhawks loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh on two outs.  With winning runs in scoring positions, the Rangers were able to close out the game after Fort Lewis scored their final run due to a walk with the next batter lining out. 

Hull, pitching in all seven innings for RU, moved to 6-4 overall on the mound this season while earning four strikeouts and allowing ten hits. 

Regis tallied 25 combined hits on the day with King, John, and Sexton each recording three RBI's throughout both wins.  Finger, John, and King put down four combined hits apiece to lead RU offensively. 

The Rangers are back in action Sunday, March 22 in the second day of the pod series at Fort Lewis.  Regis plays back-to-back against Fort Lewis and UCCS with first pitches set for 10 a.m. and 12 p.m.