Colorado Christian Softball lost a frustrating series opener Saturday, but rallied to take the day's finale at Regis. Though the Rangers beat CCU and pitcher Mariah Bledsoe 6-5, Christian turned up the heat in game two on the way to a 7-0 win.
 
A frustrating third inning set the tone for the day's opener, as the home Regis squad scored six runs on a six-hit effort. The Rangers wouldn't score again in the contest, but they wouldn't need to.
 
Senior Alexa Coffing answered the RU attack with a fourth-inning strike, hitting her second homerun of the season past the left field fence. The two-RBI bomb sparked a late Cougar rally that would pull Colorado Christian to within one. Eventually, however, the blue and gold rush came up short. A Kristina Billante double in the seventh plated CCU their fifth, but wouldn't be followed by another Christian score.
 
Freshman Letty Valenzuela went 2-for-3 in the loss, helping the Cougars to a six-hit showing. Christian's offensive efforts were stunted, however, by an 11-strikeout effort from Regis pitcher Nicole Aviles. The Rangers wrapped the contest with nine from the plate, collecting five earned runs on CCU's starter Bledsoe. Jennie Winston relieved Bledsoe in the third and gave up just three hits and no runs.
 
Doing work for the Cougars in game two was Tana Feiner, who picked up win number six after going one away from a no-hitter in the afternoon victory. Feiner fanned three Regis batters and gave up just one hit in the victory.
 
While the Rangers sat nearly silent, Colorado Christian was busy connecting and chasing momentum. Another Billante double set the stage nicely, as the hit screamed through RU's center field to score Sarah Rasmussen and Stephanie Tatham in the first. Two more went on the board by way of a pair of singles in the fourth, and a Rylee Halenar RBI single in the fifth gave Christian a 5-0 lead.
 
Jessica Romine underlined the win on the next at-bat, homering to left field to extend the Cougar advantage to seven. Romine had the hot bat in the win, tallying three RBI in a 3-for-4 effort.
 
Another pair of games awaits the squads on Sunday – they'll meet in Denver once again to close out the series.