Pitrat, Akins Lead Eagles to Sunday Split

CHADRON, Neb. – Charley Pitrat hit a go-ahead three-run double, Belle Akins threw a gusty complete game in the circle and Chadron State avoided a four-game sweep vs. UCCS and salvaged a split on the day by winning the series finale on Sunday in Chadron. The visitors won the first game 9-2 before CSC prevailed in game two, 4-3.

The Sunday split improves CSC's record to 3-9 in RMAC play and 3-18 overall. UCCS is now 11-10 overall and 5-7 in league play. 

The Eagles rode the flamethrowing right arm of Belle Akins, who allowed three runs (two earned) while striking out eight in all seven innings of work and kept Chadron State in the game until the Eagles took the lead with a four-run bottom of the sixth.

UCCS handled game one. True freshman Brynn Trujillo started in the circle for CSC and, similarly to her outing on Saturday against the Mountain Lions, she shut down UCCS early before the visitors had more success against her in the third time through the order. 

The Mountain Lions put up nine runs on 15 hits, scoring four in the top of the sixth inning to take a 9-0 lead and put the Eagles at risk of losing via run rule. The Eagles, who did not have a hit up to that point, got a baserunner from a one-out single by Brogan Allen before catcher Tiffani Mein smoked a home run through the wind and over the fence to make the score 9-2 and force a seventh inning to be played.

Chadron State put two more baserunners on in the seventh, but did not score as UCCS closed out the win. 

Game four of the series featured the same starting pitching matchup as game one – Akins vs. UCCS's Autumn Kunze. The two teams matched zeroes through three innings before scored two runs in the top of the fourth. The Mountain Lions moved around a leadoff walk and scored on a single with two outs before adding another unearned run to make it 2-0.

The score stayed 2-0 until the sixth. With relief pitcher Kailey Bond on for her second inning of work, CSC did all of its damage with two outs and after Bond extended the inning with a one-out throwing error that put Katelynn Czerpak on first base. Brianna Cordray singled and Isabella Crown was hit by a pitch to load the bases.

With true freshman Amber Boland at the plate, the Eagles scored their first run of the game on a wild pitch before Boland worked a six-pitch walk to re-load the bases and bring up Charley Pitrat. The CSC shortstop hit a 2-1 fastball to the opposite field into a swirling wind tunnel which carried it over the head and past the outstretched glove of the UCCS left fielder. 

With all three runners off at the crack of the bat, the bases cleared and the Eagles instantly took a 4-2 lead, with Pitrat moving up to third on a late throw to the plate. 

Chadron State was not yet out of the woods. UCCS led off the bottom of the seventh with a home run to cut the Eagle advantage to 4-3. Akins battled valiantly with the heart of the Mountain Lion order, striking out No. 3 hitter Mackenzie Scott on a perfectly painted 2-2 pitch for the second out of the inning. 

UCCS continued to rally. Akins walked Gianna Pancost in a nine-pitch at-bat that saw the CSC sophomore fall behind in the count 3-0, then throw five straight strikeouts with Pancost fouling off four consecutive pitches before drawing the walk. Taylor McCombs then hit a bloop double just out of the reach of a diving Izzy Thomas in right field to put the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position for the visitors. 

But Akins held her nerve, throwing a first-pitch strike to Laynee Case, getting ahead in the count 1-2 and then freezing the reigning All-RMAC second baseman with her eighth strikeout to end the game. Three of Akins's eight punchouts were looking, including two in the seventh inning.

Chadron State continues its homestand next week, when the Eagles play Black Hills State (8-13, 5-5 RMAC). The Yellow Jackets won twice against New Mexico Highlands this weekend, with two more games still to play on Monday.