Broncos Come Up Short in Two Games Against Colorado State

BOISE, Idaho – Boise State softball came up on the short end of the score in two games Sunday afternoon against the Colorado State Rams at Dona Larsen Park. The first game was a resumption of Saturday’s suspended game two of a doubleheader falling 5-1. In Sunday’s second game, the Broncos fell 10-2 following a nine-run fifth inning by Colorado State. The pair of losses moved Boise State to 19-20 overall and 10-8 in Mountain West play. 

The Blue and Orange was out hit 21 to 10 in the two games hitting .213 percent compared to CSU’s .350 percent. Six Broncos recorded hits in the two contests led by Bella Rocco with three. She was followed by Sara Johnson and Autumn Bennett with two each, while Ashlyn Adams, Karlee Johnson and Ashlyn Whalen all had one apiece. Karlee Johnson recorded the lone home run of the day with a solo blast in the fifth inning of the final game.

Boise State will be back in action next weekend when they head to Fresno, Calif., to take on MW favorites the Fresno State Bulldogs in a three-game conference series.

GAME TWO RECAP: Colorado State 5, Boise State 1

The first game on Sunday started at 10 a.m. and was the resumption of Saturday’s second game of a doubleheader that was suspended because of rain. The Rams brought a 1-0 lead into Sunday’s action which picked up play in the bottom of the second inning. Colorado State proceeded to extend its lead to 3-0 by the middle of the fourth inning. 

Down 3-0, Boise State responded with a lone run in the bottom of the fourth when Bennett — who reached on a single through the right side — came home on a Sara Johnson single to left field. 

Unfortunately, that proved to be as close as Boise State would get as the Rams tacked on two more insurance runs with one in the fifth and one in the seventh to take the contest 5-1. 

CSU recorded eight hits and had one error while Boise State finished with seven hits in the game. 

GAME THREE RECAP: Colorado State 10, Boise State 2

After three and a half scoreless innings where the Rams left six runners stranded while the Broncos were hitless, Boise State took the lead on its first hit of the game in the bottom of the fourth.

After Adams had reached base on a walk, Rocco doubled down the right line to bring home Adams from first base giving the Broncos the initial and short lived lead at 1-0.

Colorado State answered by exploding for nine runs in the top of the fifth inning to seize control of the game. The Rams sent 13 batters to the plate scoring the nine runs on six hits and a Bronco error. Boise State brought three pitchers to the circle in the inning before getting out of the frame down 9-1.

Karlee Johnson would get one back for the Broncos when she sent a solo blast over the right center fence in the bottom of the fifth to make it 9-2 Rams. 

But that was all the scoring for Boise State on the day as CSU added a run in the top of the sixth, then held the Broncos scoreless in the bottom of the sixth to end the game by the eight-run rule.