Colorado State University Athletics
Sunday, March 29
Fort Collins, CO
12:00 PM
Colorado State
17-17, 5-4
7
vs
6
Boise State
18-20, 4-5
1st innning1
2nd innning2
3rd innning3
4th innning4
5th innning5
6th innning6
7th innning7
RunsR
HitsH
ErrorsE
Boise State
1
3
0
2
0
0
0
6
6
3
Colorado State
2
0
0
0
2
0
3
7
7
1
Rams Take it One Pitch at Time
3/29/2026 3:58:00 PM | Softball
A walk-off homer at CSU’s Pink Out game lifts the Rams to a series win
Even with 16 years of experience, there are things the most tenured coaches are yet to witness.
"You're not a part of a whole ton of bottom of the seventh walk-offs in your life," coach Jen Fisher said. "And so I think it'll be a special one that I'll always remember."
The homer drilled off Kyra Smith's bat — her fifth this season — sealed a walk-off win at Colorado State's annual Pink Out game for cancer awareness, clinching the series 2-1 with a 7-6 finish.
But just because it's pink doesn't mean it will always be pretty. In this case it required patience. So they broke it down into manageable pieces. Focus on the next game, next inning, next pitch, next time in the box.
"I mean, it's honestly like every single pitch," Jac Smith said. "We're not worried about the pitch down the road, it's this exact pitch right here. And it's just constantly being in that mindset. Everyone's in that mindset, whether it's catcher, outfield, no matter what — we're going win this pitch together."
After the first game in the series, which ended 13-2 in the sixth inning, competitiveness in every facet was top of mind.
Because the Broncos could win the short game and drill off 13 runs in the first meeting, but the Rams weren't going to allow it again. So as tough talks filled the huddle postgame, the mindset was clear and streamlined: compete until the very end.
"I think that the game's not over until it's over," Kyra Smith said. "So I think just stepping in there and being like, okay, I'm going to get one and not leaving it up to chance."
It showed up not just in the box but in the far outfield during the top of the sixth where Lauren Stucky made friends with the back fence.
She ended up on the ground after a collision but soon after a raised up her glove to show the crowd what had come out of the play. The cheers for her hustle spoke for themselves.
"She's one in a million," Fisher said. "I just was so proud of her. And she's always like that. She's the same. Every single day you can count on her to bring 110% and a positive attitude. And she says, yes, Coach, and hustles everywhere she goes. That consistency and that positivity can sometimes be underrated. But as a human, there's just – there's nobody better than Stucky."
Her defensive effort highlighted a key shift late in the game. After allowing six runs through four innings, the Rams locked in, holding the Broncos scoreless the rest of the way behind adjustments in pitching and tighter infield and outfield execution.
Freshman Olivia Schmidt flashed her instincts in the circle, snagging a hit at the top of her glove to end an inning. Ashley Lofton-Hernandez was thrown out attempting to steal home in a defensive sequence which ran through Kaylynn English at shortstop.
The result pushes the Rams ahead in the Mountain West standings at 5-4, separating them slightly from a tightly packed middle of the conference. More importantly, it reflects how they've responded to adversity.
"That first game, obviously we were all kind of taken back," Jac Smith said. "Like, okay, that wasn't our day. But we're going to come back and we're going to fight. That was a really big word this week, was like, compete."
It's something Fisher has seen building since the start of conference play — a team learning how to balance long-term goals with present-moment execution. The Rams aren't shying away from postseason aspirations, but they're careful not to let the future distract them from the task directly in front of them.
That focus on competing in the moment and thinking deeply after the fact is what continues to shape the Rams' approach as the season progresses.
"Our goal is to continue to improve," Fisher said. "I think we're continuing to improve on defense. We're continuing to improve on offense. And we're continuing to improve on our pitching. So, I like the way we show up. I like the way we prepare. We're still learning, but it seems like there's just a lot of growth and a lot of people paying close attention. They're able to look at their mistakes without shame, but say, okay, I see. And I think that shows a lot of maturity of this team."
The win will take them through practices and film sessions. It will become about refining what they missed and adjust what they didn't in preparation for the next opponent. But one thing is for certain: that seventh inning walk off isn't going anywhere.
"You're not a part of a whole ton of bottom of the seventh walk-offs in your life," coach Jen Fisher said. "And so I think it'll be a special one that I'll always remember."
The homer drilled off Kyra Smith's bat — her fifth this season — sealed a walk-off win at Colorado State's annual Pink Out game for cancer awareness, clinching the series 2-1 with a 7-6 finish.
But just because it's pink doesn't mean it will always be pretty. In this case it required patience. So they broke it down into manageable pieces. Focus on the next game, next inning, next pitch, next time in the box.
"I mean, it's honestly like every single pitch," Jac Smith said. "We're not worried about the pitch down the road, it's this exact pitch right here. And it's just constantly being in that mindset. Everyone's in that mindset, whether it's catcher, outfield, no matter what — we're going win this pitch together."
After the first game in the series, which ended 13-2 in the sixth inning, competitiveness in every facet was top of mind.
Because the Broncos could win the short game and drill off 13 runs in the first meeting, but the Rams weren't going to allow it again. So as tough talks filled the huddle postgame, the mindset was clear and streamlined: compete until the very end.
"I think that the game's not over until it's over," Kyra Smith said. "So I think just stepping in there and being like, okay, I'm going to get one and not leaving it up to chance."
It showed up not just in the box but in the far outfield during the top of the sixth where Lauren Stucky made friends with the back fence.
She ended up on the ground after a collision but soon after a raised up her glove to show the crowd what had come out of the play. The cheers for her hustle spoke for themselves.
"She's one in a million," Fisher said. "I just was so proud of her. And she's always like that. She's the same. Every single day you can count on her to bring 110% and a positive attitude. And she says, yes, Coach, and hustles everywhere she goes. That consistency and that positivity can sometimes be underrated. But as a human, there's just – there's nobody better than Stucky."
Her defensive effort highlighted a key shift late in the game. After allowing six runs through four innings, the Rams locked in, holding the Broncos scoreless the rest of the way behind adjustments in pitching and tighter infield and outfield execution.
Freshman Olivia Schmidt flashed her instincts in the circle, snagging a hit at the top of her glove to end an inning. Ashley Lofton-Hernandez was thrown out attempting to steal home in a defensive sequence which ran through Kaylynn English at shortstop.
The result pushes the Rams ahead in the Mountain West standings at 5-4, separating them slightly from a tightly packed middle of the conference. More importantly, it reflects how they've responded to adversity.
"That first game, obviously we were all kind of taken back," Jac Smith said. "Like, okay, that wasn't our day. But we're going to come back and we're going to fight. That was a really big word this week, was like, compete."
It's something Fisher has seen building since the start of conference play — a team learning how to balance long-term goals with present-moment execution. The Rams aren't shying away from postseason aspirations, but they're careful not to let the future distract them from the task directly in front of them.
That focus on competing in the moment and thinking deeply after the fact is what continues to shape the Rams' approach as the season progresses.
"Our goal is to continue to improve," Fisher said. "I think we're continuing to improve on defense. We're continuing to improve on offense. And we're continuing to improve on our pitching. So, I like the way we show up. I like the way we prepare. We're still learning, but it seems like there's just a lot of growth and a lot of people paying close attention. They're able to look at their mistakes without shame, but say, okay, I see. And I think that shows a lot of maturity of this team."
The win will take them through practices and film sessions. It will become about refining what they missed and adjust what they didn't in preparation for the next opponent. But one thing is for certain: that seventh inning walk off isn't going anywhere.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Bentley, Giselle (5-6)
L: McNamara, Loula-Rae (7-2)
Batting:
2B: Southerland, Quinn 1 ; Hughes, Chloe 1
3B: Gonzalez, Marissa 1
RBI: Southerland, Quinn 1 ; Hughes, Chloe 2 ; Stroh, Skylar 2 ; Gonzalez, Marissa 1
SH: Farmer, Hollie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Southerland, Quinn 1 ; Hughes, Chloe 2 ; Farmer, Hollie 2 ; Penberthy, Kate 1
CS: Stroh, Skylar 1 ; Hernandez Lofton, Ashley 1
Batting:
2B: English, Kaylynn 2
HR: Smith, Kyra 1
RBI: Edwards, Abby 1 ; Moody, Allyson 1 ; Smith, Kyra 3 ; English, Kaylynn 1
SF: Moody, Allyson 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Edwards, Abby 1 ; Stucky, Lauren 1 ; Smith, Kyra 1 ; Castillo, Clarissa 1 ; Rutherford, Autumn 1 ; Wilson, Jailey 1 ; Gonzalez, Rylee 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
2
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
dp/rf
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
3
PH/dp
AB
2
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Softball
RHP/INF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
OF/RHP
/ SoftballColorado State Softball: Highlights vs. San Jose State
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Tuesday, May 14