Saint Mary’s defeated Northern Colorado 8-5 on March 20 after a three-run seventh inning at Gloria Rodriguez Field.
The game was closely contested, with both teams exchanging leads throughout. Saint Mary’s took an early lead in the first inning with a three-run home run by Braxton Brown. Northern Colorado responded in the bottom of the first, tying the score at 3-3 after Ella Gonzales tripled to drive in a run, Katie Walling hit an RBI single, and Hayden Nelson added another RBI hit.
In the fourth inning, Saint Mary’s regained the lead on an RBI fielder’s choice, but Gonzales tied it again for Northern Colorado with a sacrifice fly. The teams continued to trade runs into the fifth inning when Nelson hit a solo home run to even the score at 5-5.
The decisive moment came in the seventh inning when Alex Cutonilli of Saint Mary’s hit a three-run home run following a two-out rally. Northern Colorado put multiple runners on base in their final opportunity but could not close the gap.
Northern Colorado finished with ten hits. Amailee Morales and Hayden Nelson each had three hits, while Gonzales drove in two runs. Grace Algrim pitched over six innings and took the loss for Northern Colorado.
The teams are scheduled to play again tomorrow in a doubleheader at Gloria Rodriguez Field.
