DENVER, CO- The Cougars competed in the first ever Regional hosted by Colorado Christian on day one on Thursday at Assembly Athletic Complex. They showed just why they earned the #1 seed in the South Central Region, taking down St. Mary's (TX) by a final score of 7-4 to advance into the winner's bracket.
The Rattlers struck first in the opening inning as they plated an unearned run. The Cougars settled into the game in the third inning as
Elyse McMullin roped an RBI single to score
Sarah Dollerschell. They continued to hit the ball in the fourth, chasing the Rattlers' pitcher with constant pressure.
After loading up the bases with nobody out,
Peyton Marvel once again came through in the clutch with a single up the middle to give her team the 2-1 lead. Dollerschell notched an RBI walk, and
Kat Hanson kept the line moving with a single to make it 4-1. An RBI fielder's choice from McMullin capped the scoring in the fourth as CCU suddenly led 5-1.
Paisley Williamson closed the scoring with a two-run single in the fifth as the lead grew to 7-1. The Rattlers attempted to rally with a solo homer in the sixth and a two-run shot in the seventh, but the Cougars stemmed the tide and closed out the 7-4 victory.
LePenske picked up win #23 in the circle with a complete game effort with four strikeouts and just three earned runs. McMullin and Williamson led a steady offense with a pair of RBI as the team collected 12 total hits.
The Cougars advanced to the winner's bracket with today's win, and they will face off with a familiar regional opponent in #5 seed Oklahoma Christian tomorrow May 15 at 11 a.m. MDT from Assembly Athletic Complex.
