PUEBLO, Colo. (March 8, 2015) ~ The Colorado State University-Pueblo baseball squad recorded season highs in both runs and hits Sunday, rolling to a 19-6 win over New Mexico Highlands University at Rawlings Field.

The win gives the ThunderWolves the series victory over the Cowboys, taking three out of four games. The Pack improve to 13-3 overall and 5-1 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference contests. Highlands drops to 7-7 on the season, including a 1-3 mark in league tilts.

The 20 runs are the most for CSU-Pueblo since it scored 23 against Adams State May 3, 2014. The 21 base knocks are the most since May 8 of last season when the ThunderWolves registered 21 against the Cowboys.

Pack starter Daniel Tessone (Jr., La Habra, Calif.) earned his first win of the season, while Highlands' starter Curtis Hynes took the loss after lasting just 0.1 of an inning.

After going a combined 6-for-6 at the plate in yesterday's doubleheader sweep, Shane Richins (Sr., Heber, Utah) continued his torrid hitting by going 3-for-3 with two runs scored and two
RBIs Sunday. Jordan Godman (Jr., Las Vegas, Nev.) matched Richins for the team lead in hits with three, including two doubles. Beau Cebulski (Jr., Las Animas, Colo.) recorded a grand slam in the sixth inning for his second home run of the season. In all, 12 players tallied hits for the Pack.

Highlands took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but the ThunderWolves responded with five runs in their half of the first inning. With the bases loaded and one out, Manny Menocal (Jr., Las Vegas, Nev.) singled through the left side to score Godman. Lawrence Chavez (Sr., Estancia, N.M.) followed with a two-run single between first and second, plating Austin Mascorro (Sr., Oxnard, Calif.) and Dominick Bregar (Jr., Pueblo, Colo.). After an errant throw on a pick-off attempt scored Mencoal and sent Chavez to third, Richins singled to right centerfield to drive home Chavez, giving the Pack a 5-1 advantage after one inning of play.

The score remained 5-1 until the bottom of the fourth inning. Richins led off the frame with his eighth hit in his last eight at bats. Two batters later, Richins came around to score on a double into the left centerfield gap by Godman, extending the CSU-Pueblo lead to 6-1.

After the Cowboys tacked on their second run of the game in the top of the fifth inning, the ThunderWolves answered with three tallies of their own in the bottom of the frame. With nobody out and the bases full, Chavez drove home Bregar and Mike Wagner (Sr., Golden, Colo.) with a double down the leftfield line. Richins followed with a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Menocal with the ninth run of the contest for the Pack.  

CSU-Pueblo blew the game open with nine runs in the sixth inning. The ThunderWolves sent 15 batters to the plate and tallied eight hits. Wagner, Menocal, Gavin Brady (Jr., Golden, Colo.) and Thomas Vinci (R-So., Pueblo, Colo.) all had one RBI each in the inning. Cebulski delivered the big blow in the frame, launching a grand slam over the leftfield wall.

Trailing 18-2, Highlands registered four runs in the top of the eighth inning, before the Pack closed the scoring in the bottom of the inning on a RBI double by Jake Berg-Rosenblatt (Jr., Los Angeles, Calif.).

The ThunderWolves take to the road next weekend for the first time this season, playing a four-game series at Adams State University. The series opens Friday at 1 p.m.

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As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, Colorado State University – Pueblo competes in 22 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.