PUEBLO, Colo. – Colorado State University Pueblo concluded its three-game weekend series here Monday with MSU Billings by suffering a 19-10 setback to the Yellowjackets on a windy afternoon at Rawlings Field.

With the setback, the ThunderWolves fall to 1-10 on the season and went 1-2 on the weekend against the Yellowjackets, while MSU Billings improved to 5-4 on the season.

Monday's game began about 90 minutes late after the two teams had to complete the final three innings of Sunday's game that was suspended due to darkness after six innings. When the game was suspended, the Pack led 9-7, but when the game resumed on Monday at 12 p.m., MSUB rallied to post a 12-10 win.

In Monday's regularly schedule game, the Pack offense recorded a season high 15 and scored 10 runs, but MSU Billings finished the game with 19 hits and 19 runs, including scoring 15 runs in the seventh inning to turn a close game at 4-2 into a rout at 19-2. MSU Billings had 11 extra base hits in the game, including hitting four home runs.

The Pack would score eight runs over the next three innings to cut the margin to nine runs.

Sophomore third baseman Kysen Howard (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley Northwest) had a big day at the plate as he went 4-for-5 with two runs scored and 3 RBI. In addition to Howard, senior first baseman Reggie Williams (Castle Rock, Colo./Douglas County), redshirt senior shortstop Trey Vasquez (Greeley, Colo./Dodge City CC) and junior catcher Brady Prewitt (Raytown, Mo./Iowa Western CC) each had two hits and Prewitt also added 4 RBI.

MSU Billings would get on the scoreboard first as they used a walk, a groundout and an RBI double by James Anderson off of junior hurler Nick Perry (Denton, Texas/Richland JC), who made his collegiate debut on the mound for the Pack.

The Pack would tie the game at 1-all in the bottom of the second thanks to a one-out triple by Howard and an RBI single off the bat of sophomore leftfielder Elijah Borjas (Denver, Colo./Lakewood).
In the third inning, the Yellowjackets retook the lead on a lead-off home run by Zach Blaszak off of Perry. Blaszak's homer was his first of the season.

The Pack threatened in the fourth inning as they loaded the bases with two outs thanks to a single by Howard, a hit batsman, a walk issued to sophomore second baseman Kolton Miller (Parker, Colo./Ponderosa) when MSU Billings pitcher Ty Wilson was called for a balk on a 3-2 pitch. Miller, though, got out of the jam by forcing Williams to foul out to third to end in the inning.

The Yellowjackets pushed its lead to 3-1 in the fifth inning thanks to another lead-off home run, this time from AJ Wagenmann off of sophomore hurler Owen Rudolphi (Eureka, Mo./Eureka), who was the second of seven pitchers for the Pack in the game.

MSU Billings added another run to its lead in the sixth on an RBI double by Bodee Wright.

CSU Pueblo would pull within 4-2 in the bottom of the sixth thanks to pinch-hit double by Prewitt, which allowed freshman centerfielder Jake Olguin-Pacheco (Denver, Colo./Horizon) to score after reaching on a one-out bunt single.

The Yellowjackets put the game out of reach in the seventh inning as they sent 18 hitters to the plate and scored 15 runs on 12 hits off of four Pack pitchers in the inning. The inning featured six extra base hits, including two 3-run homers by Mitch Winter and Jack Nehler.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Pack used four hits to score three runs with the big hit in the inning being a bases-loaded double by Prewitt to cut MSUB's lead to 19-6.

The Pack added three more runs in the bottom of the eighth thanks to a wild pitch that scored a run and a 2-run double down the left field line off the bat of Howard to push the Pack within 19-9.

CSU Pueblo would add another run in the bottom of the ninth off of MSUB reliever Trevor Cassell. In the inning, redshirt junior pinch hitter Cole Knightley (Solvang, Calif./Santa Ynez) was hit by a pitch with one out, moved to second on a single by Williams and scored on a pinch hit single to right off the bat of junior Joseph Quintana (Golden, Colo./Erskine). Cassell, though, would prevent further damage as he retired the next two Pack hitters in order to end the game.

Seven Yellowjackets recorded at least two hits in the game with Anderson and Wright each collecting three hits apiece. Those two players went a combined 6-for-11 at the plate with four runs scored and 3 RBI. Blaszak, Wagenmann, Winter, Kaden Kirshenbaum and Hayden Foltz each had two hits in the win.

Perry (0-1) took the loss for the Pack on the mound as he pitched three innings and allowed two hits and two runs, while walking two and striking out five.

Cole Bertram (1-0) picked up the win in relief of Wilson for the Yellowjackets as he pitched just one inning and walked one and did not allow a hit or a run. Bertram was one of the two pitchers in the game to not allow any runs as the other one was CSU Pueblo sophomore Caden English (Broomfield, Colo./Broomfield), who pitched the final two innings in the game.

The two teams left a combined 21 runners on base as CSU Pueblo stranded 12 runners and MSU Billings left nine runners on base.

CSU Pueblo will remain at home as they host Colorado School of Mines in a non-conference game on Friday, March 3 at Rawlings Field. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. against the Orediggers.