Rams Battle Hard but Come Up Just Short - CSURams.com

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UNLV

4/25/2021 | 12 PM MT

MW Network

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Every season, Colorado State softball's veterans pass the torch to the younger players. Memories and traditions all get handed down to the next generation of Rams who will spend their college years between the two foul lines at Ram Field.
 
Most of the team remembers the 2019 season, where the Rams built a 20-game winning streak and an 18-6 conference record. Several of them played in the NCAA tournament which ended their successful bout.
 
Though the 2021 season has been full of frustrations and missteps, one tradition remains: Teach successful strategies to the players who will follow the same path.
 
"I just keep trying to tell the kids 'if we keep playing our best and put it all together, I think we can win,'" coach Jen Fisher said. "We gotta just stay as a team. You do start to get frustrated because there's no tournament, and that's a frustrating thing for our team at this point. We haven't been in this situation for a couple of years where we're not really in it, so that's a tough place to be. We want to finish strong, we want to play well, we want to play together, we want to use this as a learning opportunity. We want to be competitive, because we have got to teach competitiveness to the younger players, and that's on the older players to keep fighting, even when things don't look great."
 
The older players have consistently stepped up to the challenge. Senior Ashley Michelena, batting .279, has the highest batting average of the upperclassmen. Graduate student Corina Gamboa and senior Tara Shadowen are also consistent performers, batting .265 and .263, respectively. Shadowen has already stacked up four home runs and four doubles for the team in the 2021 season.
 
In the doubleheader against UNLV on Saturday, seniority proved to be a strong suit for the Rams. Despite falling to the Rebels in both contests, the team pulled out some impressive plays and stats which shows there is growth happening.
 
The first game against the Rebels started strong until UNLV timed Colorado State's pitchers and capitalized on the gaps in the field. After several pitching changes to try and curb their success, the Rebels ultimately produced a seven-run inning which ended the game early at the end of the fifth.
 
"I think just one little thing happened and we felt like it was out of our control, which is something that we can adjust to quickly," sophomore pitcher Julia Cabral said. "It was just a mental error."
 
Shadowen's solo home run over the left-field fence in the first inning remained the lone run scored in the first game as Colorado State lost 9-1.
 
During the second game, the Rams picked up the intensity and kept UNLV to a close 1-0 game. Freshman Maya Matsubara made a diving stop and produced a 4-6-3 double play to get out of a tough inning, which was the defensive highlight of the game.
 
In the circle, Cabral only allowed the Rebels two hits and one run, which helped the team keep the game close.
 
There is still time for Colorado State to find its stride and turn the season around. The team will be back for a rematch against the Rebels on Sunday, and this time with the same plan, just a different method of execution.
 
"We've gotta get more consistent," Fisher said. "We have people who take an at-bat off. We're taking too many at-bats off and we're not being a competitive enough out sometimes. And we're really just trying to put good swings on good pitches, and sometimes it's out of our zone or not having a good swing. I felt like we did that a lot better in the second game. I mean, how many balls did we square up to the fence?"
 
Even though the lineup is trying their best, in times of struggle and hardship, the team looks up to the seniors who have seen successes and defeats the most. Fisher points to the dedication of Gamboa, Jessica Jarecki and Haley Donaldson, among others, who never miss practice and intend on showing the younger players how to have a successful season.
 
But, with the seniors getting ready to graduate, there's room for younger players to grow into their shoes. Fisher is confident the team will be able to master the offensive side of the game and be ready for the rest of the season.
 
"I think it's fixable. Offensively, we can't stop fighting and learning, we have to have really quality at-bats. We just have to put our best swing on a good pitch and bring it down to a tier one, where the only thing I want to focus on is a good swing on a good pitch. They're trying to do too much."
 
 
 

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April 25, 2021 at 07:20AM
https://csurams.com/news/2021/4/24/softball-rams-battle-hard-but-come-up-just-short.aspx

Rams Battle Hard but Come Up Just Short - CSURams.com

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