PUEBLO, Colo. (GoThunderWolves.com – Apr. 4, 2014) — A walk-off homer down the right field line by sophomore first baseman Dominick Bregar (Pueblo, Colo.) in the bottom of the 10th inning lifted the Colorado State University-Pueblo ThunderWolves to a 5-4 win over 13th-ranked and arch-rival Colorado Mesa University, Friday night here at Rawlings Field.
Bregar's homer was his second of the season and was his second game-winning hit in the last three games. It also allowed him to extend his hitting streak to 19 consecutive games.
The contest, which featured the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's two division leaders lived up to it's billing as it featured three ties. Both teams also slugged out two homers each while two of the RMAC's top two starting pitchers both deep into the game while throwing a combined 266 pitches. However, neither figured in the decision.
Bregar was involved in both of the game's biggest plays. Trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the eighth, the ThunderWolves were able to put a pair of runners on thanks to the first of two costly Maverick errors and a drawn walk by Mario Sanchez (Sr., Tucson, Ariz.), who had homered in the bottom of the fourth to tie game at 1. Bregar then put down a bunt that was fielded by Maverick reliever Dakota Behr, who issued the walk to Sanchez, in front of the mound. Attempting to gun down JJ Ortiz (Jr., Pueblo, Colo.) at third base, Behr misfired which allowed the Pack to score two runs to tie the game at 3.
Bregar went to second base on the play before scoring three plays later when Scott Hoyt (Sr., Longmont, Colo.) singled to right field giving the ThunderWolves a 4-3 lead, their first of the night.
However, the Mavericks came back as reigning RMAC Player of the Week Austin Kaiser, who went 4-for-5 with three extra-base hits, including his sixth homer of the season, doubled to begin the top of the ninth. He then moved to third on an infield single before scoring on a Garrett Woodward single to left that tied the game at 4.
CMU, which left a whopping 16 runners on base throughout the night, would go on to load the bases against Pack starter Mike Fabrizio (Sr., Pueblo, Colo.), who threw 148 pitches over 8 1/3 innings. He then gave way to Doug Finley (Jr., Bermuda Dunes, Calif.), who got two big strikeouts to get out of the inning.
After the Pack went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the ninth, the Mavericks would put two runners on with one out before Finley struck out Woodward to end another threat in the extra-frame.
Bregar then led off the bottom of the 10th with his bomb, which was on a 3-2 pitch.
CMU tallied 11 hits on the night, including Woodward's solo homer in the top of the second, and Kaiser's 2-run shot in the fifth, which both gave the Mavericks the lead.
Starting pitcher Matt Delay went 7-plus innings for the Mavericks, who fell to 21-7 overall and to 15-4 in RMAC play while seeing their 5-game winning streak snapped. He gave up five hits and three walks while striking out three on 118 pitches.
Behr, who came in with a RMAC-leading six saves, suffered a blown save and took the loss while falling to 0-2 after giving up three hits and three runs, only one of which was earned.
Meanwhile, Fabrizio tallied eight strikeouts but walked eight in 8 1/3 innings of work. Finley tallied four strikeouts in his 1 2/3 innings and improved to 2-1.
Offensively, Hoyt and Austin Mascorro (Jr., Oxnard, Calif.), each tallied three hits for the ThunderWolves, who had eight as a team. Hoyt was 3-for-4 while Mascorro, hitting in the No. 6 spot in the lineup, also drew a walk.
The Pack, who have now won three straight and four of five in their current home-stand, are now 16-14 overall and 12-7 in RMAC play, good for a half-game lead over victorious New Mexico Highlands in the RMAC Plains Division standings. Despite the loss, CMU maintained a 6-game lead over both Colorado Mines and Regis in the Mountain Division standings heading into the continuation of the 4-game series with the Pack.
The two teams will play a Saturday doubleheader at 1 p.m. before wrapping up the series at noon on Sunday.
