KINGSVILLE, Texas (GoThunderWolves.com - May 16, 2013) - CSU-Pueblo surrendered the first game of the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Thursday, giving Texas A&M-Kingsville its first NCAA Tournament win in program history as the Pack fell 6-3 to the Javelinas.
CSU-Pueblo started normal number-two pitcher, Mike Fabrizio (Jr., Pueblo, Colo.) on the bump and he showed nerves in the early going, allowing a leadoff walk followed by a balk. Rattled, he allowed back-to-back doubles that produced two Javelina runs as Texas A&M-Kingsville went up 2-0.
Fabrizio, though, settled down considerably after the first inning, allowing the Pack to cut the lead to 2-1 in the 5th inning as Wade Beauvais (Sr., Pueblo, Colo.) ripped an RBI-double to score Curtis Cowell (Sr., Monrovia, Calif.).
However, the Javelinas stretched its lead further, plating one run in the bottom of the fifth and another two in the sixth to go up 5-1.
The ThunderWolves again made it interested as Evan Kenebrew (Jr., Colorado Springs, Colo.) hit a pinch-hit two-run double to straight-away centerfield to cut the lead to 5-3. But another Kingsville run stretched the game to 6-3.
The lead set up a save situation for Kingsville's Jeremy Flores, who entered the game with 13 saves on the season. He ended up notching his sixth straight save by getting out of the inning.
With the loss, CSU-Pueblo draws St. Mary's in an elimination game, taking place at 11 a.m. CST.
