By Kaleb Center BOX SCORE 1 BOX SCORE 2
The Chadron State College softball team took its first back-to-back wins of the season on Friday, downing Colorado State University-Pueblo in a pair of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference games in Pueblo.
The games were originally scheduled to take place in Chadron, so the Eagles were the home team as they won 7-3 and 5-4, with the latter game going to eight innings.
All but one in CSC’s starting batting lineup hit safely in the noon game, and all reached base at one point or another. The Eagles painted eight base hits on the ThunderWolves in the first inning to drive home six earned runs in their first at-bat.
A double by Jessie Henchenski and a pair of errors helped CSC go up 7-0 in the third inning.
An error and a wild pitch by CSC in the fourth helped Pueblo to two runs, and a seventh-inning passed ball by the Eagles contributed to the ThunderWolves’ final run.
CSC’s Kenzi Garner improved to 2-1 with the complete game win, while Pueblo’s Sophia Lishner fell to 1-2 on the season after giving up the lead in the first inning and exiting after only two outs.
Chadron State pitcher Gabby Russell allowed only five base hits in eight innings, in the later game, when the ThunderWolves closed a 4-1 gap to tie the game at four apiece in the seventh inning.
The Eagles got an eighth-inning, bases-loaded walk, aided by a fielding error and a hit batter, which ended the game in extra innings after the Eagles could claim only four base hits.
Hits by Addison Spears, Allie Mason, and Chloe Brown contributed to the scoring for CSC, but the ThunderWolves also walked six CSC batters and committed four errors.
Senior Gabby Russell got her first win for the Eagles to go to 1-1 on the season. Pueblo ace Taylor Strupp took her first loss, falling to 3-1 on the year.
The Eagles improved to 3-13 overall, and 3-3 in RMAC play, while CSU-Pueblo fell to 6-3 (3-3 RMAC).
The series continues at 11 a.m. on Saturday.