Nationally-ranked Dixie State Univesity softball swept Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado Monday.
The No. 2 team in the country advanced to 10-4 with two wins over the Skyhawks, 12-0 and 5-1, respectively.
The Storm dominated the first game as senior Aryn Feickert and junior Brooklyn Beardshear combined to throw a shared no-hitter from the circle.
“We got on the board quick, and I think that really helped take some of the pressure of our pitchers,” head coach Randy Simkins said. “They were put in a position where they could really go out there and dominate, and they did just that.”
The pitchers weren’t the only players on a roll for DSU because the bats were just as hot as the Storm tacked on 11 runs in the first three innings.
Senior catcher Autumn Woodfall went 2-3 and notched two RBIs while junior outfielder Shelby Yung went 3-3 from the plate, knocking in two RBIs. Yung and senior outfielder Kristie Johnson each added a homer in the fifth inning to put the game on ice.
“We’ve made great adjustments in practice and it’s paying off on game days,” said Yung, a communication major from Upland, California. “Coach asks us to get better every day and I think we’ve risen to that challenge.”
The Skyhawks weren’t about to let DSU achieve two no-nos in one day as Feickerts’ first pitch of game two was knocked into left field and got FLC on the board in the first inning.
Yung picked up right where she left off for DSU when she hit an RBI-single to score sophomore Janessa Bassett and even up the score in the first inning.
Fieckert dominated from then on out. The senior threw a complete game, striking out 11 batters in seven inning en route to another Storm victory.
Freshman infielder Dani Bartholf led the Storm in the batter’s box, going 3-4 and bringing home a single RBI. Yung finished the second game 2-4 to bring her Monday total to 5-7 from the plate.
“Everyone did their part today,” Simkins said. “It was a total team effort from top-to-bottom, and when we do that, we put ourselves in position to win games.”
DSU has now won three straight games and sits at 10-4 overall. The Storm will stick around in Colorado for a two-game series with Colorado Mesa University Tuesday before opening conference play at Azusa Pacific University March 4.