After a disappointing series with Adams State last weekend in Alamosa, the softball team looked to make up ground at home against Fort Lewis. Mother Nature had other ideas.
The ladies won the first game 9-5 behind a full team effort with seven Mesa State batters contributing with at least one RBI. Sara Jordan pitched a complete game, giving up five runs on eight hits and striking out five.
With the chance to sweep Saturday’s doubleheader, Fort Lewis gave up the lead in the seventh, but went on to win 7-5 in extra innings. Lauren Cross knocked in three runs and blasted her eleventh home run of the season. Gabrielle Parra went six innings, giving up five runs on nine hits. Jordan pitched two innings and got the loss as she gave up the two runs in extras.
“It sucked we split because we should have won,” Jordan said. “We are struggling right now and trying to find that intensity for every inning of every game.”
After a morning full of rain and big puddles all over the diamond, Sunday’s doubleheader was cancelled due to the poor field conditions and weather. With no way of starting a run, the team looks at the cancellation as a loss of opportunity.
“We needed today’s wins,” Jordan said. “It could have been the day that we finally figured everything out.”
Coach Kris Mort looks at the unexpected off day as something positive for the ladies.
“The girls have to determine if they want to up their tenacity and get better,” Mort said. “They can use today to catch up on homework or get other work done.”
Despite recent struggles and falling to 13-14 overall, hope remains in the clubhouse. They are 11-11 in conference and still in third place in the West Division, just one game behind Adams State and Colorado State-Pueblo. The team feels they are on the verge of finding that intensity and getting over the hump.
“I honestly don’t know what’s wrong,” Jordan said. “We are going through all the motions. I expect to keep getting better and still go as far as we can together.”
Sunday’s rainout will not be made up later this season. The ladies travel to Durango this weekend to face Colorado School of Mines Saturday then Regis Sunday. Both days will be doubleheaders. The team returns to Bergman Field April 16 for their Swing for Life game against Metro State.
u
ahimes@mesastate.edu