Northern Colorado split a Big Sky Conference softball doubleheader against Idaho State on April 10 at Gloria Rodriguez Field, dropping the first game 10-4 before securing a walk-off 4-3 win in the second game.
The outcome is significant for both teams as they continue to compete for position within the conference. The Bears showed resilience by rebounding from an opening loss and rallying late to earn a split.
In the opener, Northern Colorado took an early lead after capitalizing on an Idaho State error in the first inning. However, Idaho State responded with four runs in the fourth inning, including three home runs. The Bengals added another run in the fifth and broke open the game with five more runs in the sixth, making it 10-2. Northern Colorado scored once in the fifth and twice more in the sixth but could not close the gap. Amailee Morales led with two hits and two RBIs, while KK Christie, Katie Walling, and Emma Harrington also recorded hits.
The second game saw Northern Colorado bounce back strongly. The Bears scored runs early thanks to RBI hits from Walling and Morales. Idaho State came back to take a 3-2 lead going into the final inning. In their last at-bat, Northern Colorado rallied after a defensive miscue by Idaho State set up Krista Francia’s two-RBI double that secured a walk-off victory for UNC. Francia finished with two hits and two RBIs; Morales had three hits; Walling contributed two hits as well. Pitcher Grace Algrim earned a complete-game win, allowing three runs on eight hits.
The teams are scheduled to meet again tomorrow for a rubber match at noon.
