COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – In their first outing for the 2018 season, the Fort Hays State softball team went 1-1 in a doubleheader against UC-Colorado Springs on Saturday (Feb. 3). The Tigers rallied late in the first contest, but ultimately fell 8-7, but followed with a late-inning 14-11 win in the second game for the split.
 
UC-Colorado Springs 8, Fort Hays State 7
The Tigers never held the lead in the first contest as the Mountain Lions took an early lead and barely held on late. UCCS got on the board first in the opening inning, going up 2-0 quickly after two sacrifice flies brought in runners. The Tigers were scoreless until the third inning when Grace Philop doubled down the left field line to bring in Lily Sale for FHSU's first run of the contest. In the fourth, Sara Breckbill also sent a double down the left field line to score Candace Bollig, tying up the game 2-2.
 
UC-Colorado Springs took control once again in the bottom of the fourth. Melissa Martinek drew a bases-loaded walk, then Whitney Weber sent a bases-clearing triple to center, giving UCCS a 6-2 lead. The Tigers got one run back in the fifth on another RBI from Philop, this time a single up the middle, scoring Terran Caldwell. The Mountain Lions got the run right back in the bottom half of the inning on a solo home run by Kylie Bernard.
 
The Tigers scored twice in the sixth as Sale singled up the middle to bring in Sydney Harsh and Philop produced her third RBI of the game on a sacrifice fly to send Sara Kay home. UCCS scored its decisive run in the bottom of the sixth when Lexi Belligan singled home a run to make it 8-5.
 
The Tigers nearly completed a comeback in the seventh when Tess Gray led off the inning with a double. After a Bailey Kennedy walk and the first out of the inning, Breckbill doubled down the left field line to make the score 8-6. Kay followed with an RBI single to right field and made it 8-7. With just one out the Tigers had runners at first and third, but a pop up and a fly out ended the game to cut the rally just short.
 
Cami Duffy earned her first win of the season for the Mountain Lions, pitching all seven innings. For the Tigers, Hailey Chapman took the loss in four innings pitched, while Carrie Clarke took over the final three innings.
 
Fort Hays State 14, UC-Colorado Springs 11
The second contest of the day saw the bats continue to thrive as the Tigers ousted the Mountain Lions in a high-scoring, 14-11 affair. Tess Gray got the scoring frenzy started with a three-run homer in the first. The lead lasted until the third after UCCS plated a run in the second on an RBI single and two in the third with a two-run homer.
 
The fourth inning looked pivotal for the Mountain Lions once again when they scored five to take an 8-3 lead. A three-run home run and a two-RBI single did the damage. However, the Tigers were not denied the comeback victory in this contest when they had an outburst of nine runs in the top of the fifth.
 
Bailey Kennedy started the comeback with a solo homer to lead off the inning. Lily Sale came around to score on a bunt single by Terran Caldwell. With the bases loaded, Tess Gray knocked home two with a single, making the score 8-7. Then, with the bags juiced again, all three runners scored on an error off the bat of Candace Bollig, swinging the lead in favor of the Tigers 10-8. Another error and a walk loaded the bases for a third time, then Sale produced a sacrifice fly to bring home Bollig. The lead grew to 12-8 on an RBI ground out by Caldwell, capping the nine-run inning for the Tigers.
 
A Tiger error in the sixth led to a three-run inning for the Mountain Lions, but the Tigers escaped into the seventh with a 12-11 lead. After one run scored on an error, a pair of doubles were key to bringing home two more for UCCS.
 
The Tigers got two of the runs back in the seventh, thanks to a passed ball and an RBI groundout by Sale. Hailey Chapman came on to record the final two outs after starter Sierra Rodriguez went four innings and Megan Jamison relieved for 2.1. Chapman earned her first collegiate save after UCCS had one runner on base when she entered the circle. Rodriguez picked up the winning decision.
 
For the Mountain Lions, Meghan Waidler notched the loss in relief after giving up first seven (four earned) of nine runs in the fifth. She did not record an out.
 
The Tigers and Mountain Lions meet in the final game of the series Sunday at 11 am MT / 12 pm CT.