The Chadron State College softball team earned their first RMAC playoff berth since 2018 Friday after defeating CSU-Pueblo in one game and earning a 3-1 series victory over the Thunderwolves.
After this weekend, CSC improved to 27-24 overall and 25-19 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Fort Lewis, who held the sixth and final playoff spot, dropped two games against Colorado Christian, dropping their conference record to 21-19.
On April 1st, CSC had an overall record of 11-20 and an RMAC record of 9-15. In the month of April, the Eagles finished 16-4 with two complete series sweeps, one being a shutout, helping them earn the playoff berth.
The Eagles opponent Thursday at the conference tournament, held in Lakewood, Colorado, at the regular season champions Colorado Christian, is unknown at this time.
Tori Haug improved to 10-14 on the season after allowing only one hit in the Eagles 8-0 five inning game one victory.
A Brady Laucomer three-run homer to center field started the scoring in the bottom of the second inning, scoring J;lyssa Martinez and Sloane Quijas.
Quijas, who set a school record in the series, added two more runs in the bottom of the third on a two RBI single, scoring pinch runners Chloe Brown and Jaelyn Martinez-Lewis.
A senior from Erie, Colorado, Quijas become the first player ever to end a series with a perfect batting average for CSC.
Quijas had 12 hits in 12 at bats while drawing three walks, finishing with an average of 1.000. She also had five RBIs, two doubles and scored seven runs over the weekend.
Her 12 consecutive hits are also a school record.
Chadron State extended their lead to 6-0 in the third inning after a Martinez sacrifice fly scored Mackenzi Kroll.
In the bottom of the fifth and final inning, Micah Stouffer, a senior from Rushville, drew a bases loaded walk that scored Kroll.
The eighth and final run was scored after Laucomer hit a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Quijas.
Haug, a junior from Commerce City, Colorado, walked one batter and struck out four in the complete game victory.
The Eagles had only five hits with their eight runs, while committing zero errors. The Thunderwolve defense finished with one error.
Game two had 25 combined runs and ended in extra innings with the guests winning, 13-12.
The loss ends CSC softball’s program record win streak of 10 games.
CSU-Pueblo built a 6-0 lead after three and a half innings, scoring first in the top of the first inning on a sacrifice bunt.
The guests added five more runs in the top of the fourth inning, A double to left field brought in the first run.
The next batter singled to center field while advancing to second on the throw. The single advanced one batter to third and scored another, giving Pueblo a 3-0 lead.
Caitlyn Cole added the other three runs to the Thunderwolve lead with a three-run homer to center field.
With two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning, Laucomer, a freshman from Scottsbluff, added three RBIs with a three-run home run, scoring Quijas and Kroll.
Three batters later, Lauren Zimmerman followed up Laucomer with a three-run homer of her own, scoring Aliyah Rothstein and Bailey Steinke and tying the game at six.
Chadron State took their first lead of the game in the bottom of the fifth inning when Kroll hit her fourth homerun of the series to center field.
The Eagles lead was extended to 8-6 when a bases loaded walk scored Quijas.
Steinke, a senior from Longmont, Colorado, brought home the final run of the inning on a sacrifice fly, scoring Martinez.
The Thunderwolves added one run in the sixth inning on an RBI single.
CSC was one out away from winning in the top of the seventh before the Thunderwolves tied the game 9-9 on a two-rbi single.
The visitors extended their lead to 12-9 in the inning after Cole hit her second three-run homer of the game.
Needing to score to keep the game alive, Steinke zapped a ball down the left field line that rolled behind the Thunderwolve outfielder. Quijas scored from third and Jessie Henchenski reached home from second, while Laucomer used her speed to score all the way from first and tie the game at 12.
The inning ended with Steinke stranded on second base, thus causing extra innings.
The second error by the Chadron State defense occurred in the top of the eighth inning. An errant throw allowed Jill Bishop to reach first base and Ashley Tosh to score for the Thunderwolves.
Trailing by one and needing one run to push the game to the ninth inning, Quijas drew a two out walk but was unable to advance past first, ending the game as the Thunderwolves lone victory of the series.
Three pitchers appeared in the game for CSC. The starting pitcher, Delaney Farnsworth, received the loss, falling to 15-10 on the season.
The Eagles had 13 hits with 12 runs and two errors in the loss. CSU-Pueblo had 13 runs on 10 hits with one error.
Four CSC seniors and three CSU-Pueblo seniors were honored between games.