DENVER, Colo. – Looking to cap their conference opening weekend on a high note, the Regis University softball team accomplished just that by sweeping the Colorado State University Pueblo ThunderWolves on Monday.
The Rangers (8-6 overall, 4-0 RMAC) earned their first run-rule win of the season in Game One, thanks to a total of 11 runs on 11 hits. Game Two against the ThunderWolves (2-13 overall, 0-4 RMAC) came down to the bottom of the sixth as the Rangers were down by one, but junior utility Rachel Williams won the game with a two-run blast.
"Wow, I mean, honestly today sums up this group," said Regis softball head coach, Nicole Thompson. "They're resilient, they're passionate, it's an endless battle for them, a constant fight and they do it together and they do it with each other. I couldn't be more proud of this group today, for sure."
GAME ONE | HOW IT HAPPENED
Monday's matinee was all about the second inning as the Rangers exploded for seven runs
Freshman infielder Rachel Barriga started the run party with a RBI single for Regis' first run of the game.
Two singles, a passed ball, a hit by pitch, and a bases loaded walk later, and the Rangers found them with a 7-0 lead at the end of the second.
The ThunderWolves' only score of the game came from a solo home run to left field in the top of the third.
Junior infielder Miia Campos continued her explosive offensive campaign with a bases clearing double to tack on two more runs in the bottom of the third.
Barriga slammed the door on CSU Pueblo with a two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth to put Regis up 11-1.
Junior right-hander Kylie Harpman handled the ThunderWolves with ease in the bottom of the seventh, sitting the side down in order. In the game, Harpman threw only 59 pitches with three strikeouts and one walk.
"We had the scouting report and we knew that if we could get to her or extend her time it was going to be an advantage for us," Thompson said. "We tell our girls all the time that being aggressive and hunting our pitch is important, but we want them to be a smart aggressive. When we're up in 3-1 and 2-0 counts, the licks we put on the ball, they need to be intentional. It needs to be with force and if that's happening then we do good things."
GAME NOTES
GAME TWO | HOW IT HAPPENED
The ThunderWolves scored their most runs in a single inning in the top of the first and jumped to an early 4-0 lead and scored another two in the third, but the Rangers scored a run in almost every inning to mount their comeback.
Campos got the Rangers' offense going with a sacrifice fly to left that scored the Rangers' first run. Sophomore infielder Olivia Wick continued the work with a single to score the second and third runs in the second inning.
A single in the fifth from junior infielder Morgan Norris helped the Rangers score their fifth run of the game, setting up the perfect go-ahead situation in the sixth.
Down to their last out in the bottom of the sixth, Campos came up clutch and delivered a single to get herself aboard.
With a 2-1 count, Williams launched a two-run home run over the left field fence to seize the lead and the eventual win.
"I think when we came back after that four-run inning from them, we knew then that it's a long game and we just need to chip away," Thompson said. "We don't need them back all in one inning and that was our mindset. We knew to stay intentional and to stay true to our identity. Our identity as a group is that we have more power now in the lineup, but we get runners on and we work for walks. Then it's how do we move them and how do we come up with some clutch hits? We talk about the gas pedal having to be down regardless of if you're losing or winning. This lineup does a really good job of that."
GAME NOTES
- The two wins marked Regis' first series sweep and run-rule win
- Kylie Harpman was given her third win of the weekend
- Regis used four different pitches to put their fourth win together
THOMPSON ON HER PITCHING STAFF
"I knew I wanted a deep pitching staff and so for me to be useful with that, I needed to know how to use them. In the offseason, that was where I really wanted to grow as a coach. We found out who works best after who and who is complementary to who and which pitcher can go in the middle innings versus starting or closing a game like Kylie did. I can't say enough about this pitching staff. We've told them from the beginning that it's going to be a challenge. You could be facing a single batter, throw six innings, you might be starting and coming back and closing, and they've really bought into that. If you don't have kids that buy into that kind of thing and are selfish, you're not going to be successful in that way. We used Kat when we needed to, we trusted Ava, Lex has been big with us and she's kept us in ball games and she keeps the opposing teams off balance. We told Kylie that with how low her pitch count was Game One if we were in need, could she go? She looked at me and said 'Yeah I want the ball.' So that's what we want to see in our pitching staff."
UP NEXT
The Rangers continue their homestand with another four game series against Adams State University. First pitch is scheduled for Saturday at 12 PM.
"They're getting their rest tomorrow and we'll get back to work again on Wednesday," said Thompson. "We'll look at some things and we tell them all the time, we start back 0-0. That's been our mentality with our goals at the end of the year, you can't be looking forward. We have to play each team game by game, inning by inning, at bat by at bat. We're really going to be looking for Adams and getting back into scouting and see what their players are doing and get ready for Game One."
