PUEBLO, Colo. (GoThunderWolves.com – Apr. 25, 2014) — The Colorado State University-Pueblo ThunderWolves set the NCAA Division II single-game attendance record during the program's 10th annual Pack the Park game but lost 6-0 and 7-4 leads as most of a 4,468-person crowd left Hobbs Field at the Runyon Field Complex un-happy.
After the Pack jumped out with a 6-run barrage in the bottom of the second, the visiting New Mexico Highlands University Cowboys clawed to within 6-4 with three unearned and four total runs in the fourth and fifth. After the attendance figure, which easily surpassed the former record of 4,122 set by Colorado Mesa University against the Pack in 2012, was announced, the Pack would extend the lead to 7-4 with a single run in the bottom of the fifth.
However, things turned ugly in the top of the seventh as five different Pack pitchers worked in the inning, which saw the visiting Cowboys score four runs on just one hit to take the lead, which led to an 11-9 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference win.
Benefitting from 11 walks, three hit batsmen and a run-scoring balk from nine total Pack pitchers throughout the 3-hour and 32-minute game, the Cowboys improved to 26-16 overall and to 23-9 in RMAC play, good for a 3 ½-game lead over the ThunderWolves, who saw their 4-game winning streak snapped, in the league's Plains Division title chase.
CSU-Pueblo, which had blown a 10-2 lead in the last game against the Cowboys on Mar. 9 in Las Vegas, New Mexico, is now 23-19 overall and 19-12 in the RMAC heading into the rest of the 4-game weekend set which will move over to the ThunderWolves' on-campus Rawlings Field home for a Saturday doubleheader at 1 p.m. and a single Sunday game at noon.
On Friday, The ThunderWolves would do most of their damage in the second inning as they banged out six hits, more than the Cowboys managed throughout the whole game (5), while taking advantage of two Cowboy errors to take a big lead
However, the visitors would pull two runs back in the fourth and two more in the fifth, benefitting from a ThunderWolf error in each inning.
Allowing just one hit and one earned run in a wild 5-inning start, Pack starter Mike Fabrizio (Sr., Pueblo, Colo.), who did walk five Cowboys, then gave way to the bullpen.
With a 7-4 lead, Dillon Given (Sr., Salinas, Calif.) pitched a 1-2-3 top of the sixth. However, Given walked two of the first three Cowboys he faced in the seventh as a Justin Rodriguez RBI single, the Cowboys' only hit of the inning, made the score 7-5.
Ricky Casler (Jr., Vail, Ariz.), who suffered the loss, then hit Matthew Chavez with his one and only pitch to load the bases. Kolby Rimer (Jr., St. George, Utah) then came to the mound but hit Morgan McCasland before walking Colby Wilmer as the game was suddenly tied at seven.
After yet another pitching change, Nick Gonzales then drove in the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly to right before the Pack and yet another pitcher in the form of Jake Busch (Jr., Frankfort, Ill.) finally got out of the inning on a grounder to second.
Trailing 8-7, the Pack then wasted a 1-out single by Mike Wagner (Jr., Golden, Colo.), who had three hits on the night, in the bottom of the seventh.
The Cowboys then scored three more runs against three different pitchers in the top of the eighth to go up 11-7.
The ThunderWolves would rally for two runs in the eighth while Nathan Smith (Sr., Canyon Country, Calif.) pitched a 1-2-3 top of the ninth. However, Cowboy reliever Ben Ruff, would match the effort as the visitors closed out the game.
NMHU starter Blake Harrison, who was nearly chased from the game early, earned the win for NMHU as he lasted seven innings giving up 10 hits and two walks. Ruff gave up a hit, two runs in his 2-inning stint but did strike out three ThunderWolf batters.
Rodriguez went 3-for-4 with a walk, three runs scored and two RBI to lead the Cowboys' offensive efforts.
CSU-Pueblo finished with 11 hits on the night as eight of the nine ThunderWolf starters recorded hits. All but one was for a single.
