PUEBLO, Colo. (May 2, 2019) – Colorado State University-Pueblo Baseball cruised past University of Colorado Colorado Springs 16-6 Thursday at Rawlings Field.
The Pack did most its damage during a 10-run fifth inning. They batted around in both the fifth and the eighth inning.
Aidan Welch (So., Settle, Wash.) slugged three hits in five trips. Welch finished a home run shy of the cycle as he tripled and doubled. He drove in three runs and scored once.
Dakota Popham (Sr., Colorado Springs, Colo.) matched Welch with a 3-for-5 showing. Popham drove in three runs and came home once. He also clubbed his second triple of the season.
Gilbert Sauceda (Sr., Indio, Calif.) kicked off his senior week with a 2-for-3 night at the plate. Sauceda scored twice. He drew three walks, pushing him within three walks of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's career record.
Connor Hughes (Sr., Phoenix, Ariz.) scored twice and drove in two more runs. Hughes went 2-for-5.
Adrian Martinez (Jr., Tucson, Ariz.) went 2-for-4 with a run scored and RBI.
Easton Adler (Jr., Mead, Colo.) and
Rion Santamaria (Jr., Yorba Linda, Calif.) each scored three runs. Adler also drove in one for the Pack.
Beau Brieske (Jr., Chandler, Ariz.) picked up the win for the Pack to better his record to 7-4. Brieske struck out eight batters over six innings. He allowed three earned runs. Brieske now has 112 strikeouts this season.
The Pack raced out to a 2-0 lead in the first. Popham ripped a triple to right to bring in Adler. Santamaria scored on one of the Mountain Lions four errors. UCCS would score the next four runs over three innings as they led 4-2 after four.
In the fifth, the Pack busted the game open with 10 runs. CSU-Pueblo sent 14 hitters to the dish.
Robbie Espinosa (Sr., Yorba Linda, Calif.) tied the game with a pinch hit single. Hughes followed with a two-run single of his own that made it 6-4. Welch tripled home two runs. Martinez had two hits in the inning as the Pack took command with a 12-4 lead after five.
The Mountain Lions scored two runs in the eighth to make it 12-6. The Pack responded with four runs in the bottom half. CSU-Pueblo batted around for the second time in the game as they pushed their lead to double digits.
Bret Ricklefs (Sr., Meriden, Kan.) threw a scoreless ninth to close out the Mountain Lions and give the Pack a 16-6 win.
Andrew Coverly (Jr., Centennial, Colo.) struck out the side in the seventh as the Pack rang up 14 Mountain Lions while only struck out three times.
With their win, the Pack moves into a tie with a Mountain Lions for fifth place in the RMAC standings at 19-14. The ThunderWolves improved to 24-22 overall. UCCS stands 27-20.
The Pack and the Mountain Lions continue their series Friday at the 15th annual Pack The Park game. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at Runyon Field in downtown Pueblo.
Admission for the Pack the Park game is free. Fabulous prizes including TVs, an Apple Watch and a PS4 will be raffled off every half inning.
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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
