Eric R. Flores
The Paw Print
The Adams State College softball team rode home runs by Rebecca Lindquist, Lizzy Schossow, and Sarah Lindquist to win an exciting 11-10 Game 1 before putting up 16 unanswered runs, including a grand slam by freshman Selina Pacheco, to get their biggest come-from-behind victory of the year as they run-ruled Mesa State College, 16-8, in five innings at the ASC softball field.
The crucial Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference doubleheader sweep kept the Grizzlies, now winners of seven games in their last nine, in eighth place in the standings as they improved their overall record to 16-20 and 15-19 in conference play.
Mesa State, which clinched an RMAC Tournament spot despite dropping both games, fell to 18-18 overall and 16-18 in conference play.
The Mavericks started the day off in the first inning of Game 1 as Gabriella Parra reached base on a fielding error then scored when Sara Jordan hit a single to center field.
Adams State countered in the bottom half of the inning when freshman Katelyn Lovato extended her hit streak record to 35 games as she beat out a dribbler to third base. After an error that allowed freshman Ashley Pohl to reach base, junior Jaycee Lovato hit a double down the left field line to score her younger sister.
Schossow then put down a sacrifice bunt to bring Pohl in and give the Grizzlies a 2-1 lead.
After a scoreless second inning, Mesa State tied the game at 2 when Whitney Bailey hit a sacrifice fly to center field.
In the fourth inning, Mesa State tacked on two runs when a fielding error by shortstop Rebecca Lindquist allowed the runs to score.
However, the Grizzlies pounced back as they tied the score at four. The two runs came off a solo homer by Sarah Lindquist, her second of her career, and an RBI single by Katelyn Lovato that brought pinch runner Melinda Velasquez in from third.
Sarah Lindquist then had a great fifth inning after she gave up a lead-off double to Megan Smith as she got three quick outs. That fired up the Grizzly squad as they came out in the bottom half to score four runs including a 2-run homer by Schossow, an RBI single by Tarah Campagnola and an RBI single by Katelyn Lovato.
With an 8-4 lead, the Grizzlies could not hold on as the Mavericks rallied for four runs in the top of the sixth as Parra and Bailey each had 2 RBI doubles to tie the game at 8.
Sarah Lindquist then helped herself as she delivered a RBI double following a solo homer by her younger sister, Rebecca.
The homer was Rebecca Lindquist’s twelfth of the season. Pacheco then nailed a double down the left field line to push Sarah Lindquist across the plate giving Adams State an 11-8 lead.
The Mavericks then put pressure on the Grizzlies as they scored two runs but Sarah Lindquist was able to strike out Jordan to end the game and improve her record to 9-8. Lindquist, who pitched seven innings while striking out six batters, gave up 10 runs, seven of which were earned, on 14 hits.
Jordan fell to 9-9 on the year as she gave up 11 runs, 10 of which were earned, on 11 hits and six walks. She also struck out six Grizzly batters.
After Parents’ Day ceremony, the Mavericks appeared to be in control of Game 2 as they quickly jumped out an 8-0 lead.
After a scoreless first inning, the Mavericks scored eight runs, seven of which came after there were two outs, as Grizzly junior pitcher Marissa Elsberry faced a total of 14 batters in the inning.
The Grizzlies did not give up easily as they started their comeback in their half of the second inning.
After getting two quick base runners, it looked as if the inning would go to waste. However, they were able to crack the scoreboard when freshman Jamie Roland hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield to bring Schossow across the plate.
Elsberry then produced for herself as she hit a double, her second of the season, to bring Sarah Lindquist, who played in the designated player’s spot in Game 2, around to score.
Jaycee Lovato then started the third inning off on the right foot as she hit the very first pitch of the half-inning to dead centerfield to make the score 8-3. Three batters later, Pacheco hit a double up the middle to score Sarah Lindquist, who had singled, to make the score 8-4.
Roland then traded places with Pacheco as she hit a double down the left field line before Katelyn Lovato and Campagnola each singled to bring Roland in. Rebecca Lindquist then got in on the action as she hit a single up the middle to bring the speedy Katelyn Lovato, who had extended her hit steak to 36 games, across the plate.
Campagnola then tied the game at eight when Jaycee Lovato hit a sharp single to the shortstop.
Elsberry then continued her solid performance in the circle, as she worked her way out of jams in the third, fourth, and fifth innings after the 8-run Maverick outburst, by stranding seven runners on the base paths in those innings and 10 overall.
The Grizzlies then unleashed an 8-run outburst of their own in the bottom of the fifth inning to wrap up the game.
Katelyn Lovato led off the inning with a single to the shortstop before stealing her sixteenth base of the campaign and advancing to third on a wild pitch.
She then scored when Rebecca Lindquist hit a double to center field. The bases were then loaded up and pinch runner Velasquez scored when Sarah Lindquist was hit by a pitch.
Pacheco then came up the bat and made the Mavericks pay as she nailed her team-leading third grand slam of the season to make the score 14-8.
Roland then singled to right field before Lovato came up for the second time in the inning and singled to the shortstop. The game then ended on a wild play as Campagnola singled to the third baseman Bailey, who attempted to tag Roland out but missed, and decided to fire the ball to second to try and get Katelyn Lovato.
However, the ball was thrown low and it skidded into right field as Campagnola and Lovato both raced around the bags scoring the final runs.
After the two runs crossed, neither team realized that the Grizzlies had just won because of the run-rule for a split second, but once they did excitement filled the air.
Despite being roughed up early, Elsberry, who pitched five innings while giving up eight runs, seven of which were earned, and seven hits while striking out four runners, improved to 3-4 on the year.
Katelyn Lovato finished the day going 7-for-10 at the plate (.700) with four runs scored while snagging two RBI. Pacheco led the team with six RBI as she went 3-for-6 at the plate in the doubleheader.
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