CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. – Bethune-Cookman fell to Colorado State by a score of 7-0 on Friday afternoon at the Big League Dreams Complex as part of the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. All games for Friday saw time changes stemming from Thursday afternoon storms that went well into the night in and around the Palm Springs area.
 
Colorado State (7-2) began the game with runs in each of the first three innings.
 
The Rams opened the game with an Ashley Michelena triple followed by a sacrifice fly to center from Danni Klein that allowed the CSU leadoff batter to score easily to put her team ahead, 1-0.
 
Bethune-Cookman (4-8) trailed 2-0 in the bottom of the second inning before the Wildcats threatened with a pair of hits in the frame.
 
Right fielder Kaiya Epps-Lee singled to short and eventually made her way to third on a single to left center from designated player Azaria Wilson. However, CSU starting pitcher Bridgette Hutton settled down in collecting back-to-back groundouts to end the inning unscathed.
 
The Rams of Colorado State added two runs in each of the sixth and seventh innings, respectively.
 
In the seventh, first baseman Ashley Ruiz smacked a two-run homer to right center – her second home run of the campaign, to cap the scoring for the ballgame.
 
The win was collected by CSU's Hutton (3-1) in working a complete game, scattering just three hits, walking one and striking out four batters. The loss went to Bethune-Cookman starter Alexis Bermudez, dropping her record for the season at 1-6 overall. Bermudez worked 2.1 innings in the contest, being tagged for three runs on four hits and collecting a strikeout.
 
Hits for the Wildcats were secured from Epps-Lee, Wilson and catcher Kayla Traylor, respectfully. For Epps-Lee, she has now hit safely in three of her last four contests.
 
Bethune-Cookman returns to the field later Friday evening when the Wildcats face their second nationally ranked team of the tournament in the form of 16th-ranked Kentucky at 11:45 p.m. (EST).
 
Follow Bethune-Cookman Softball on Twitter (@BCUSoftball) for all of the latest news and updates. For all Bethune-Cookman Athletics news, follow us on Twitter (@BCUathletics), Instagram (@BCUathletics), Snapchat (@BCUathletics) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/BCUathletics).