SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Colorado State University Pueblo closed out its four-game weekend series here Sunday afternoon with San Francisco State by falling 6-3 in the finale to the Gators at Maloney Field.

With the setback, the ThunderWolves remain winless on the season as they have opened the 2023 campaign with an 0-7 record, while San Francisco State improves to 7-1 on the year.

The Pack, who recorded five hits in Sunday's finale, was held scoreless through the first eight innings, before plating three runs in the ninth thanks to a pinch-hit 3-run homer off the bat of freshman Cody Macias (San Diego, Calif./Granite Hills). The homer by Macias was just the third of the season for CSU Pueblo.

Entering the ninth inning, the Pack were trailing 6-0 and had been held to just three hits through the first eight innings, but the bats woke up as senior first baseman Reggie Williams (Castle Rock, Colo./Douglas County) led off the frame with a walk, moved to second on a pinch hit single to left by sophomore Cael Porter (Parker, Colo./Ponderosa) and then both runners would score when Macias drilled a 2-1 pitch from SFSU reliever Maxx Castellucci over the fence in left for a 3-run homer to pull the Pack within three runs at 6-3.

The homer chased Castellucci from the game and the Gators brought in Gabrial Lopez from the bullpen. The first batter Lopez faced was freshman leftfielder Jeremiah Sanchez (Pueblo, Colo./Pueblo West) and Lopez walked him on five pitches. Sanchez would eventually steal second with one out and reached third in a wild pitch, but Lopez left him stranded as he ended the game by inducing sophomore third baseman Kysen Howard (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley Northwest) to ground out to second to seal the Gators win and earn Lopez his first save of the season.

Williams, who broke up a no-hitter from SFSU starting pitcher Nathan Shinn with his lead-off single in the fourth, led the way offensively for the Pack as he had two hits in three at-bats and is now hitting .391 on the season and he has hit safely in six of the Pack's seven games this season. The only other hit recorded before the ninth inning came from redshirt senior shortstop Trey Vasquez (Greeley, Colo./Dodge City CC), who recorded a 2-out single in the seventh.

The Gators would find the scoreboard first in Sunday's finale in the fourth inning as they scored two runs on two hits, a walk and a wild pitch by sophomore reliever Frank Wierman (Surprise, Ariz./Shadow Creek), who replaced graduate student starter Cole Martin (Ridgecrest, Calif./Cerro Coso CC) after he allowed Derek Laferierre's RBI single that gave the Gators a 1-0 lead.

An RBI single by AJ Schrader in the sixth gave the Gators a 3-0 lead and then they tacked on two more runs in the seventh on an RBI triple by Nick Upstill and a run scoring single by Kody Gardner.

The Gators got another insurance run in the eighth off sophomore reliever Jacob Petersheim (Broadway, Va./Broadway) on an RBI single from Upstill, who had three of SFSU's 13 hits in the game.

Martin (0-1) took the loss for the Pack on the mound as he tossed 3.2 innings and allowed four hits and two runs, while walking one and fanning three. The Pack's bullpen, which consisted of four pitchers on Sunday, tossed 4.1 innings and allowed nine hits, four runs, while walking two and striking out four. Two of those four strikeouts came from Wierman.

Along with Upstill's three hits, Laferierre also added three hits in the win, while Daniel Santos and Gardner each had two hits for the Gators offense. Four of SFSU's 13 hits were either a double or a triple.  

Shinn (2-0) picked up the win as he pitched seven scoreless innings and allowed just three hits, while striking out eight and walking none in his 96-pitch outing.

The Pack will return home to Rawlings Field to play four games in four days starting on Thursday, Feb. 23. The Pack will play games on Feb. 23, Feb. 24 and Feb. 25 against MSU-Billings, before facing West Texas A&M for a single game on Sunday, Feb. 26 at 12 p.m. The Thursday and Friday games with MSU-Billings are scheduled for a first pitch at 2 p.m., while Saturday's game will be a 3:30 p.m. first pitch as MSU Billings will face West Texas A&M at 12 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 25.