LAKEWOOD, CO- The pitching for the Cougars continued to be excellent on day two of competition against the Yellow Jackets. Kali Crandall twirled a no-hitter, her second of the season, and CCU rolled to another series sweep.
GAME ONE
The first game of the day was relatively quiet from an offensive perspective as neither team exploded at the plate. Kayla Middleton got the hosts on the board with a two-run homer in the second, and sister Kenzie Middleton later doubled home a run to make it 3-0 in the fifth. Taylor Olsen doubled home Middleton as it stood at 4-0. That is where the score would stand to the end, as CCU notched win number 40 on the season in shutout fashion.
The offense was not the story in the first contest, but rather the pitching of four-time RMAC Pitcher of the Week Kali Crandall. The transfer from Oklahoma Christian was locked in all game, coming a walk in the sixth away from a perfect game as she never allowed BHSU a sliver of hope at the plate. Crandall finished with 13 strikeouts out of the 21 batters she faced as she notched her second no-hitter as a Cougar and fourth in program history.
GAME TWO
The second contest and series finale took on a different complexion from the start. Black Hills State was able to get their bats going immediately, plating three runs in the first inning. CCU responded by taking advantage of an error as Kenzie Middleton scored, and Miki Berg later picked up a sacrifice line out to bring the gap to one. The second inning was when things got out of hand for the visitors entirely.
Kenzie Middleton walked with the bases full to tie it up, and then CCU exploded offensively. Edwards singled in a run, and another defensive error from the Yellow Jackets stung as two more Cougars scored. Logan Menzies then singled home two runs before Leah Garcia did the exact same thing to push the lead to 10-3. CCU was not done yet, as Mikayla Oaks doubled in a run and Kenzie Middleton slapped a double as well to score Oaks. Olsen singled in the 13th run, and a wild pitch allowed Edwards to come home as part of a 12 run inning for Colorado Christian.
After the onslaught by the offense, Samaria Roope entered in with a big lead and never looked back. Kayla Middleton gave her pitcher even more insurance with a solo homer, and a Kenzie Middleton triple put the icing on the cake of an 18-5 victory and series sweep.
Abrie Castillo snagged win number 15 while Roope picked up the save. Kenzie Middleton led the offense with four RBI in the game.
The Cougars now face their toughest stretch of the season, beginning with a trip to MSU Denver to take on the Roadrunners April 14 at 12 and 2 p.m. MST.
