Eagles’ softball sweeps four game series

Chadron State College swept RMAC opponent New Mexico Highlands, winning 6-4, 13-1, Friday, March 29 and 12-1, 5-4, Saturday, March 30.

The Eagles scored 12 runs in the third inning of game two, Friday, helping them earn a 13-1 win in just five innings. 

In the first at bat of the inning, CSC’s Bailey Rominger, junior of Vail, Arizona,  tripled to center field, a sign of things to come for the Eagle offense. 

Up 2-0 later in the inning, Haleigh Hoefs, Freshman of Lincoln, drove in two runs with a single increasing CSC’s lead to 4-0. The dominant offensive performance continued as Hoefs earned another two RBIs in her second at-bat of the inning. 

Highlands pitcher Desiree Bogarin, senior of Victoriaville, California, struck out Katelyn Eldredge, the final batter of the Eagles batting-order, to get the Cowgirls’ second out of the inning, but CSC would cycle back through with six more batters, earning seven more runs the inning was retired.  

Down 8-0, Bogarin was replaced at the mound by Highlands junior Megan Jesionowski, of Goodyear, Arizona, after she walked CSC’s Angelica Maples, junior of Marysville, California. 

Maples was also walked in her first at bat of the inning after she fought off Bogarin, fouling three straight pitches with the count at 3-2.  

The Cowgirls prevented a shutout when Brooklynn DeLozier, junior of Longmont, Colorado scored a single run on a fielder’s choice at the bottom of the fifth inning.

The Eagles’ dominant Friday performance carried into game three. 

Maples hit a home run in the top of the second inning, giving CSC a 3-0 lead. 

She continued her impressive day with a two-run home run in the third inning and hit a grand slam in the sixth, ending the game. The junior finished the game with seven RBIs and three home runs. 

CSC’s .438 batting average in game 3 was its fourth highest single-game average of the season.

The Eagles’ first win of the weekend came on a tighter contest, Friday. The Cowgirls tied the score 3-3 at the bottom of the third inning as Nicole Correia, junior of Clairemont, California, singled to left, sending Leah Osborn, junior of Longmont, Colorado, home. 

CSC gained momentum in the fourth as Britny Davis, freshman of Lincoln hit a solo home run to break the 3-3 tie. 

Hoefs then built on the lead with a two-run home run, putting CSC up 6-3. 

The Eagles went on to allow one run in the fourth inning, but held on through the final innings for the 6-4 win.

In the final game of the series, Saturday, Eagles’ outfielder Katelyn Eldredge, junior of Arvada, Colorado, hit a solo home run to give CSC a 5-3 lead in the top of the fourth inning. 

The home run would prove to be the difference in the game, but not before the Cowgirls’ Delozier hit a solo home run of her own  in the bottom of the sixth inning to pull within one.

The Eagles defense held fast in the bottom of the seventh giving CSC a 5-4 win.

Cassidy Horn, freshman of Colorado Springs, Colorado pitched seven strikeouts and finished the weekend 4-0 to improve her season total to 5-3. According to CSC Sports Information, Horn becomes the first CSC pitcher to win four games in a weekend since softball came back to Chadron in 2007. 

Saturday and Sunday, the Eagles will finally make their home debut when they play host to top ranked Colorado Mesa who are 20-3 in games against RMAC opponents. Chadron State’s wins improved the club to 7-16 within the conference and 10-23 overall.

The following week the Eagles will continue at home against Dixie State who is new to the RMAC this season and is 17-7 in conference.