Pack Baseball denied RMAC Tournament Title in DH loss to Mesa

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (May 14, 2016) - One win away from their sixth Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament Championship, Colorado State University-Pueblo Baseball could not repeat its celebration at Suplizio Field of 2013. Colorado Mesa University defended its home field advantage with a double header sweep, winning game one 16-8, and taking the title in game two with a 9-5 victory. 

The win clinched an automatic bid for the No.8 ranked Mavericks. They now have a 44-11 record on the season as they advance to the NCAA South Central Regional. CSU-Pueblo wraps up its season 28-19. The Pack finds itself at mercy of the selection committee Sunday. 

The Pack had four players named to the All-RMAC Tournament team. Leading the way was Taylor Snyder (Jr., Elk Ridge, Utah). Snyder compiled a .588 batting average (10-for-17) in the tournament. He drove in seven runs for the Pack, homered twice, and scored four times. Snyder led the RMAC in two of the three triple crown categories with 13 home runs and 48 RBIs in 2016.

Senior, Francis Griffin (Oakland, Calif.) also earned All-RMAC Tournament team honors. Griffin batted .500 for the tournament with a .615 OBP. He also hit his third home run of the season. 

Pitcher, Kyle Peeler (Jr., Las Vegas, Nev.) claimed his place on the All-RMAC tournament by throwing 163 pitches in two days. He tossed 10 innings allowing four earned runs. He struck out six in the tournament. 

Finally, senior captain, Dominick Bregar (Pueblo, Colo.) added one more award to his already impressive resume by garnering All-RMAC Tournament team honors for the first time in his career. He  swatted seven hits in 13 at bats over his last three games. He finished the season as the RMAC's leader with 24 doubles. His 45 RBIs stands second most in conference. 

Game one actually proved to be much closer than the score would indicate. Down 4-0 in the bottom of the second, senior Beau Cebulski (Las Animas, Colo.) blasted a two run shot to get the Pack's offense started. They would add three more runs to take a 5-4 lead after two.  

Another Three runs gave the Mavericks a 7-5 lead in the fourth.  A Griffin homer made it a one run game in the bottom half of the frame. Griffin's long ball was the fourth of his career.  

One inning later, Senior Manny Menocal (Las Vegas, Nev.) stepped in and smashed his fourth home run of the season. Bregar scored on Menocal's dinger that gave the Pack an 8-7 lead. Menocal matched his home run total of 2015 with his go-ahead shot. 

They would hold that one-run edge until the eighth, when things took a terrible turn for the Pack. The Mavericks scored eight runs in the eighth. They added one in the ninth to earn a 16-8 win and force a one-game, winner take all showdown. 

In game two, the Pack took the early lead. Leading off the bottom of the first inning, Jordan Godman (Sr., Las Vegas, Nev.) crushed his seventh home run of the season. Godman's 11th bomb of his career barely stayed fair. The senior finished his incredible season with a .454 average, 42 RBIs and 29 steals, all of which lead the RMAC. 

The Mavericks would score the next seven runs to take a six-run lead into the bottom of the fourth. CSU-Pueblo clawed their way back with four runs in fourth and fifth as they closed within two, 7-5.

However, the Pack left 14 men on base as they could not overtake the Mavericks. A two-run home run would help Mesa hoist the RMAC Tournament Championship trophy with a 9-5 win. 

Jorge Venegas (Jr., Las Lunas, N.M.) was brilliant in both games for the Pack. Venegas threw 6.1 innings of relief between the two games. He allowed just one run and five hits, while striking out nine. He is one of the many pitchers expected to return for the 2017 season, as the Pack will lose only two arms due to graduation, Tyler Rich (Colton, Calif.) and Chris Gimenez (Valencia, Calif.).

CSU-Pueblo has now posted a winning record in six consecutive seasons. The ThunderWolves have finished above .500 in 19 of Head Coach Stan Sanchez's 23 seasons. 

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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.