The bus ride home looked much different from the night prior for Lewis-Palmer softball. 

The Rangers earned their first shutout in three years Wednesday with a dominant 10-0 win over Discovery Canyon. The league win broke Lewis-Palmer’s three-game losing streak and came after a tough 23-11 loss to Cañon City the day before. 

The Thunder (2-9) extended their losing streak to five games after Wednesday’s home loss, while Lewis-Palmer’s shutout was its first since 2023, a 15-0 win over Pueblo East. 

“I feel like we played well together as a team,” Rangers coach Becki Pepper said. “There were not a lot of errors, our pitcher kept it where she needed to and our fielders made plays. So that’s key. They put it all together today.” 

Freshman Abby Schneider hit two RBIs in the second inning to spark the Ranger offense, which went on to score four more runs in both the third and fourth innings while keeping the Thunder scoreless. The contest ended in the bottom of the fifth inning via the 10-run mercy rule. 

Lewis Palmer recorded 10 runs on 14 hits with a .500 batting average, and the Thunder had five hits with a .263 average. 

After Tuesday’s loss, coach Pepper told the team to refocus and was pleased with how it responded. The short turnaround helped the Rangers move past the previous loss, but they still used it as a learning experience. 

“More communication today is what won it,” junior pitcher Leia Bitter said. “Our defense was much better. We weren’t really focused yesterday in the field and off the field, so we definitely bounced back mentally.” 

While it was a collective team effort, several Rangers shined in Wednesday’s contest, including left fielder Lucy Carroll who recorded four RBIs, and Bitter, who recorded four strikeouts in her first season as a varsity pitcher. 

“I have two players that took on the role, and she happened to get the start today,” Pepper said of Bitter. “They’re always a good team and always a good hitting team. So, you know, you can’t let up and you have to keep playing until the end. She threw well for us.”

Discovery Canyon, on the other hand, is in a rebuilding year after losing several seniors and struggling with injuries. Still, coach Tanya Ramsay is proud of how the team continues to fight. 

“We just didn’t come out and play our best today and made some routine mistakes and couldn’t get a run across,” Ramsay said. “They want to continue to grow every single day, and I just really can’t ask for more. So we’ll get back to work tomorrow and just keep getting after it the rest of the season.”

Last season ended with a disappointing 3-20 record for Lewis-Palmer, but Wednesday’s win and improved 6-6 record give it confidence for a different outcome. The Rangers have a couple of days to rest before facing Doherty but are already eager for the next challenge. 

“I just told the girls, let’s just go out and have fun this year and let’s see what we do,” Pepper said. “So, that’s what’s happening. They’ve been hitting really well, but now we have the defense to go with the hitting. I think it’ll get our momentum going, and we’ll keep going.”