ThunderWolves remain alone in first place by one full game.
PUEBLO, Colo. (GoThunderWolves.com - April 7, 2012) - CSU-Pueblo ended its series with New Mexico Highlands Saturday by splitting a doubleheader, winning 9-7 before falling 5-0, missing a chance to go up by two full games in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference standings.
The ThunderWolves ended the day benefitting from a pair of losses by Fort Lewis as it moved alone into first place for the first time this season. However, a total of two games separates the top five teams in the conference standings, so the margin for error is miniscule.
CSU-Pueblo realized that fact in the early game, using nearly every opportunity it had to score runs on Highlands pitchers.
Nobody epitomized the timely hitting of the game better than Sarah Bosshart (Sr., Irvine, Colo.). On two separate occasions, Bosshart seemingly popped out to centerfield, but was later given a second chance because of an illegal pitch by Highlands hurler, Jessica Brink. Each time, Bosshart would use the new life to gather hits, first chopping a seeing-eye single up the middle in the first inning, then coming back in the same situation in the fourth inning to drive a solo home run to centerfield.
All told, CSU-Pueblo stranded just three runners in the game as it scored nine on 12 hits.
Bosshart wasn't the only ThunderWolf to go yard in the game as one of the more exciting moments came on the first collegiate home run from leadoff hitter and slap-hit extraordinaire, Alexa Snyder (Fr., Pueblo, Colo.). Snyder hammered a line drive ball down the rightfield line that cleared the fence and stayed fair by mere inches, netting three runs as the Pack pulled away during a four-run third inning.
For all the timely hitting turned in by the Pack in the first game, the second game was the exact opposite. The ThunderWolves were solved by Highlands hurler Erica Wieke, who held the Pack to just three hits in claiming a 5-0 win. By contrast, CSU-Pueblo stranded eight runners in the second game.
Despite the late loss, CSU-Pueblo, now 22-12 overall and 20-10 in conference play, takes its show on the road with a six-game road trip, starting with a four-gamer at Chadron State next weekend.
