PUEBLO, Colo. (April 29, 2022) – "Pack the Park" at Runyon Field did not disappoint Friday night, as Colorado State University Pueblo (25-18, 16-9 RMAC) was able to outlast and out-slug UCCS (17-26, 12-13 RMAC) in a series opening 22-20 victory. The 42-run evening saw 18 different players get hits from both sides to combine for 40 total base knocks. 
 
The action-packed night had the precedent set early on in the first inning. The Mountain Lions batted for five runs off six hits in the top of the first to take a 5-0 lead after just one half inning. The Pack then set the theme in the bottom of the first, as the hot bats raised the level.
 
Trey Vasquez was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and put the ThunderWolves on the board with no outs in the first. Then in the next at-bat, Ty Lewis energized the rambunctious ThunderWolves fans in attendance with a well-struck double down the right field line that scored Noah Hennings, Brady Prewitt and Vasquez. The hitting surplus continued with a RBI single from Kysen Howard followed by another RBI from Jacob Federico.
 
Howard later scored off a passed ball by the Mountain Lions and put the Pack on top 7-5 after the marathon inning.
 
The runs continued for both squads in the third. UCCS pushed across four scores, but the Pack once again answered. Hennings started it off with a RBI double that scored Reggie Williams from first. Soon following another RBI double from Lewis and a RBI single from Elijah Borjas, Howard got ahold of a pitched and smoked it well over the leftfield wall to score Borjas and Matt Shea. The big inning saw CSU Pueblo take a 14-9 lead after just three innings of play.
 
Prewitt knocked home Hennings with a triple down the right field line in the fourth and the fifth followed with a solo homer from Shea and sacrifice fly courtesy of Williams. The Pack's 17-10 lead gave a sense of comfort the Pack loyalists, but soon the game would be turned upside down.
 
The Mountain Lions showed signs of life in the sixth inning. UCCS pushed in seven runs in the inning after three ThunderWolves errors proved crucial. The big sixth tied the slugfest up at 17-17 which would carry into the eighth.
 
A run was pushed across in the top of the eighth for the Mountain Lions, but Frank Wierman was able to come on in relief with one out and shut down the next two batters with crafty pitching from the mound.
 
The Pack bats responded in a major way in the bottom frame with a no-doubter, two-run home run shot from Prewitt followed by RBI singles from Shea and Federico. By the end of the dramatic eighth inning, the ThunderWolves were able to take a 22-18 lead.
 
UCCS pushed in two runs and gave a late scare in the top of the ninth, but Wierman settled in and struck out three batters to clinch the Pack 22-20 win at Runyon.
 
Wierman moved to 3-1 on the season following the decision on Friday night. Federico, Lewis, Hennings, Lewis and Shea all notched three hits apiece while Prewitt, Shea and Hoawrd each tallied a homer each. Lewis and Howard each drove in four runs while each of the nine hitters in the game notched at least one RBI.  
 
CSU Pueblo looks to keep the ball rolling into Saturday as the Pack head back to Rawlings Field for two seven-inning contests with UCCS. The first pitch for game one will be at 1 p.m. at Rawlings.