Kansas City
Colorado State
Late Surge by Rams Plagues Kansas City in a Wild 17-16 Loss in Nine Innings
2/17/2013 3:21:00 AM | Softball
With the score tied at two in the third, infielder Marlee Maples (1) sparked a 10-run scoring outburst by the Kangaroos with a two-run homer to left-center. Later in the inning, after back-to-back singles by infielder Katie Kelley and catcher Alexandra Friloux, infielder Jenna Rangel drove in Kelley from second with a double to left as Friloux moved to third.
After a pitching change by the Rams, Kansas City continued its offensive output in the third when outfielder Kelsey Dean RBI-singled through the left side to bring in Friloux to make it a 6-2 ball game.
With the score now 8-2, Maples continued her onslaught in the third when she RBI-doubled to right to bring in infielder Liz Broyles and outfielder Bri Wyatt. Kansas City tacked on two more runs before ending the third to lead 12-2.
In the fourth, with the Kangaroos now leading 14-2, Colorado State battled back by tallying four runs, headlined by a base clearing triple by infielder Ashlie Ortega to drive in three. Ortega later scored in the inning on a wild pitch by Deanna Friese (2-2) to cut the deficit to six.
The following inning, after Kansas City was retired in order, the momentum shifted in Colorado State's favor by scoring seven runs, including Ortega (1) connecting on a three-run shot to left-center to make it a 14-12 ball game. The Rams were not finished in the inning when outfielder Shae Rodriguez RBI-singled and advanced to second after a run scored to cut the deficit to one.
Yet, the contest got even more interesting when Kelley (1) led off the sixth for Kansas City with a deep solo home run to left as the score was now 15-13. Next up, Friloux doubled to left, followed by Rangel's second double of the night as Friloux scored to push the Kangaroos lead back to three.
Although, Ortega (2) would not let her squad go down without a fight as she led off the seventh with her second home run of the night to make it a 16-14 contest. Later in the inning, after back-to-back walks by Friese, infielder Chelsea Biglow RBI-singled to bring in a run to cut the Kangaroo lead to one. Two batters, with the bases loaded and two outs, Friese walked outfielder Brianna Donahue to bring in the game-tying run.
In the ninth, Colorado State broke through and pulled out the comeback victory when catcher Emily Pohl drove in the game-winning run with a single up the middle.
Despite the loss, four Kansas City players had multiple hits, led by Maples' 2-for-5 performance at the plate with five RBI, a home run, a double and two runs scored. Also, Rangel went 4-for-5 with two doubles, two RBI and three runs scored, while Kelley and Friloux both went 2-for-5 with two runs scored.
On the other side, Ortega went 3-for-4 Saturday night with two home runs, a triple and seven RBI to lead Colorado State's offensive charge.
Tomorrow, the Blue & Gold will look to close the Troy Cox Classic with a win against the Penn State Nittany Lions at 10 a.m.
