DENVER, Colo. – The Regis University softball team opened its 2024 conference slate with a sweep on Sunday, featuring a 4-1 win in Game One and a 7-6 win in Game Two.
The Rangers (6-6 overall, 2-0 RMAC) pitching staff shut the ThunderWolves (2-11 overall, 0-2 RMAC) down in Game One while big hits in important situations kept the Rangers on top in Game Two.
"It's always a great thing to get out of here 2-0 on the first day and the first series in the RMAC. You play all of these non-conference games to prepare you for this, but it's such a battle in the RMAC and to come out here and hold strong to our plan is great," said Regis softball head coach, Nicole Thompson. "We knew they were going to be scrappy, we knew they were going to put speed on the bases. I'm really, really proud of this group. We found ways to figure things out with hits that we needed. I thought that we hit some balls really hard and just got some unlucky catches. We have a big, deep pitching staff for a reason and so it's good to see that come through for us."
GAME ONE | HOW IT HAPPENED
A complete team effort on both sides of the ball and a dominant performance from junior right-hander Kylie Harpman guided the Rangers to their first conference win of the 2024 season,
Harpman held her ground in the circle, allowing only five hits and one run in seven innings of work while striking out two.
Junior utility Abby Larsen got things going in the second inning, getting on board with a double down the right field line. Sophomore outfielder Olivia Wick brought her home with a single of her own for the first run of the game.
Freshman infielder Rachel Barriga contributed a double of her own to contribute the second run of the day while sophomore outfielder Sienna Reed knocked a two-run shot over the fence in right field.
The ThunderWolves scored their only run of the game in the top of the seventh, but Harpman handed their offense the final two outs with a strikeout and a fly out to left field.
"We definitely battled-tested Kylie down in Texas. She's a junior now and we want her to be able to come through at the hard moments," Thompson said. "Would we love her to throw shutouts? Yeah, but realistically in the RMAC is that going to happen? No. So that's when we hone in on the defense and have a complete staff behind her and also have a lineup one through nine that can hit. I thought Kylie pitched really well today. We'll get her going again tomorrow and figure out different ways to beat these hitters again."
GAME NOTES
- Regis outhit CSU Pueblo, 9-5
- Kylie Harpman was scoreless through six innings and allowed only one walk
GAME TWO | HOW IT HAPPENED
It was a back-and-forth battle in Game Two as the ThunderWolves struck fast in the first inning, making it 1-0 by the end of the first frame.
By the top of the fifth, CSU Pueblo held a slim 3-2 lead over the Ranges, but Barriga tied it with a home run down the left field line.
The Regis offense exploded in the sixth for a total of four runs that started with a triple from junior utility Rachel Williams that scored the go-ahead run to put the Rangers up, 4-3.
Back-to-back hits from Williams, Barriga, junior infielder Morgan Norris, and freshman catcher Sydney Young pushed the lead to four runs, 7-3, by the end of the sixth inning.
The ThunderWolves tried to make a comeback with three runs in the top of the seventh, but with the tying run on second, senior right-hander Alexis Kemp shut the door on any possibility of an extra run with a flyout to end the game.
"I knew if we kept it close, our group has the mental strength and confidence at the plate to step in at any moment and get the job done and shift that momentum. That's what Rachel [Barriga] has done for us. She knows she didn't have good at-bats earlier, and she could've dwelled on them but she came out and stayed true to her game plan and led us off with that home run which was big time," Thompson said. "I'm so proud of Rachel [Williams] in these past few weeks, she's struggled these last few weeks and we've moved her around in the lineup, but she's one of the reasons we're where we're at as a program. Being able to trust her and believe in her in that spot is huge. She's come through time after time and so it was kind of cliche for her to be the one that started that rally with her triple. After that, Sydney had her big triple and then there's Morgan. Morgan is one of our biggest clutch two-hitters that we have on this team. That takes the air out of defenses when you have a person that you have to pitch to and has the ability to hurt you on two outs."
GAME NOTES
UP NEXT
The Rangers close out their home opener with two more games against the ThunderWolves. First pitch is scheduled for 11 AM.
"I didn't touch on this earlier, but Lex was so big for us today. She knows her role. With other pitchers hurt, she's really stepped up and she knows what to do, I'm so proud of her," said Thompson. "We told her we trusted her and believed in her with two outs and she got us out of it. Having her have confidence in those situations is huge. Ava is going again tomorrow, Kylie's going again tomorrow and I think we just need to fine tune some things defensively which will help our pitchers tremendously. We don't want them to cause havoc on the bases and we want to take away some of those mental miscues. I'm excited for this group, they're in a great spot confidence-wise and mentally and it'll be good to have two more games tomorrow."
