PUEBLO, Colo. – Colorado State University Pueblo baseball used strong pitching here Saturday afternoon to post its first win of the season as the ThunderWolves collected a 3-1 win over MSU-Billings in a non-conference game at Rawlings Field.
With the win, the Pack improve to 1-7 on the season, while MSU Billings fell to 3-5 on the season.
CSU Pueblo's four pitchers combined to allow just three hits and one run, which came in the second inning, while walking five and striking out 12.
Junior
Zach Pratt (Belton, Mo./Metropolitan CC) started Saturday's game and tossed 4.1 innings as he allowed three hits and one run, while walking three and striking out seven in his 96-pitch outing.
Pratt was replaced with one out in the fifth inning by junior
Dylan Weaver (Fruita, Colo./Highland CC), who picked up the win in relief as he tossed 1.2 scoreless and hitless innings as he walked two and struck out one.
Sophomore
Frank Wierman (Surprise, Ariz./Shadow Creek) would replace Weaver in the seventh after he put the first two runners on base in the inning thanks to a walk and a hit batsman. Wierman would keep the Yellowjackets off the scoreboard as he struck out the first two hitters he faced and then ended the inning by inducing a fly ball to left.
In the eighth, Wierman would retire all three Yellowjackets in order and then in the ninth, sophomore
Jacob Petersheim (Broadway, Va./Broadway) would retire all three hitters he faced in order to record his first save of the season.
The Pack pitchers got all the offense they would need in the bottom of the first inning as CSU Pueblo would score two times on three hits and use an error by MSUB to take a 2-0 lead. In the inning, senior first baseman
Reggie Williams (Castle Rock, Colo./Douglas County) and senior centerfielder
Noah Hennings (Draper, Utah/Southern Idaho) reached on singles and would advance a base on a fielder's choice by junior catcher
Brady Prewitt (Raytown, Mo./Iowa Western CC) that loaded the bases due to an error by MSUB second baseman Tyler Godfrey. Williams would score the first run on an RBI on a grounder by junior designated hitter
Edmund King (Imperial Beach, Calif./Southwestern) and Hennings would eventually score the second run on an RBI single by redshirt senior shortstop
Trey Vasquez (Greeley, Colo./Dodge City CC).
MSU Billings would get one of the those runs back in the top of second inning thanks to doubles from Mitch Winter and Payton Flynn off of Pratt.
In the third, the Yellowjackets loaded the bases thanks to a single, a walk and hit by pitch, but Pratt would get out of the jam by striking out Kaden Kirshenbaum looking to end the inning.
Pratt would run into some trouble in the fifth as he walked Godfrey to open the inning and while striking out Hayden Foltz, Godfrey stole second and that ended Pratt's day on the mound. Weaver would prevent further damage in the inning to keep the score at 2-1.
In the sixth, the Pack added an insurance run thanks to back-to-back doubles from King and Vasquez, the latter double scored King with the third run of the game to give the Pack a 3-1 lead.
For the game, CSU Pueblo had eight hits and left five runners on base as Hennings and Vasquez each had two hits in the game and Vasquez had two RBI.
The Yellowjackets finished with three hits in the game and left eight runners on base.
Jackson Betancourt (0-1) tossed all eight innings on the mound for MSU Billings as he allowed eight hits and three runs (two earned), while striking out 12 and walking none.
The Pack will return to action on Sunday, Feb. 26 as they host both West Texas A&M and MSU Billings for nine inning games beginning at 11 a.m. at Rawlings Field. West Texas A&M opened Saturday's action with a 22-5 win over MSU Billings.
