COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Colorado State University Pueblo baseball team opened Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play here Friday afternoon by scoring 15 runs on 20 hits en route to posting a 15-14 victory over the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs at Mountain Lion Park.

With the win, CSU Pueblo improves to 3-12 overall and 1-0 in the RMAC, while UCCS falls to 7-10 overall and 0-1 in the league. The teams will continue to four-game weekend series with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 11 beginning at 11 a.m. and the concludes the weekend with a single nine inning game on Sunday, March 12 at 12 p.m.

The 15 hits and 20 runs scored were both season highs for the ThunderWolves, who opened league play with a win for the second consecutive season.

In Friday's game, the Pack scored in six of the nine innings, including scoring seven runs in the sixth to turn a 9-7 deficit into a 14-9 lead. The seven runs in the sixth inning were the most scored in an inning this season by the Pack as the previous high was six runs in the third inning of its 18-12 home loss to West Texas A&M on Feb. 26.

Seven Pack hitters in the game had at least two hits with four of those seven hitters recording three hits in the game. The top four hitters in the line-up went a combined 11-for-16 with seven runs scored and nine RBI in the win.

Friday's game featured a combined 29 runs and 38 hits, including 11 extra base hits.

The Pack players with three hits included senior first baseman Reggie Williams (Castle Rock, Colo./Douglas County), senior centerfielder Noah Hennings (Draper, Utah/Southern Idaho), junior designated hitter Christian Casteneda (El Paso, Texas/Otero JC) and sophomore third baseman Kysen Howard (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley Northwest). Junior catcher Brady Prewitt (Raytown, Mo./Iowa Western CC), freshman rightfielder Jeremiah Sanchez (Pueblo, Colo./Pueblo West) and sophomore second baseman Kolton Miller (Parker, Colo./Ponderosa) each had two hits in the win.

The Pack got on the scoreboard in the top of the first inning on a one-out double by Hennings, a single by Prewitt and an sacrifice fly from Casteneda.

UCCS took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second on a solo home run by Kasey Campbell and a fielding error by redshirt senior shortstop Trey Vasquez (Greeley, Colo./Dodge City CC) off of junior hurler Zach Pratt (Belton, Mo./Metropolitan CC).

The Pack got those two runs back in the top the third inning to take a 3-2 lead thanks to an RBI single by Casteneda and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Vasquez. The inning began with a walk to Miller, before Williams followed with a single to extend his hit streak to 11 straight games and Prewitt would also draw a walk.

UCCS would add three more runs to its tally in the bottom of the third to retake the lead at 5-3. The big hits in the inning were a 2-run single by Eva Steinberger and an RBI single by Vander Hodges.

CSU Pueblo would rally again to plate three runs in the top of the fourth inning to retake the lead at 6-5. Williams brought home the first run on his RBI single to left and three batters later, Casteneda followed with a 2-run single through the right side off of UCCS starting hurler Cole Philip.

UCCS would add two more runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 7-6 lead.

A single by Sanchez, a wild pitch from Philip and a RBI single through the right side by Miller tied the game at 7-all in the top of the fifth inning.

The Mountains Lions would add two more runs to its tally in the bottom of the fifth thanks to an RBI single by Ronan Hella and a bases loaded walk issued to Kit Wigington by junior reliever Dylan Weaver (Fruita, Colo./Highland CC), who replaced Pratt earlier in the fifth inning.

Pratt tossed 4.1 innings and allowed 11 hits and nine runs (eight earned), while walking two and striking out four in his 103 pitch outing in his fifth start of the season.

The visitors from Pueblo would send 12 hitters to the plate in the top of the sixth inning and score seven runs on six hits to take a 14-9 lead. The first run came home on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Prewitt, Howard would bring home three runs on his 3-run homer over the wall in left center, the Pack scored a run on a passed ball and added its final two runs of the inning on a 2-run single by Prewitt, who had three RBI in the inning.

UCCS would add four runs in the bottom of the sixth off of sophomore reliever Travis Farrell (Las Vegas, Nev./Otero JC) to cut CSU Pueblo's lead to 14-13. The big hit for the Mountain Lions in the inning was a bases-loaded 3-run double by Steinberg, who finished the game with four hits and 5 RBI for UCCS.

The Pack added an insurance run in the top of the eighth inning on an RBI double down the left field line by Hennings. Hennings' double, which gave the Pack a 15-13 lead, plated Williams, who recorded a single with one out in the inning.

The insurance run was needed as UCCS added a run in the bottom of the eighth on an RBI single by Caleb Stubbings off of sophomore Frank Wierman (Surprise, Ariz./Shadow Creek), who was the fourth pitcher of the game for the Pack.

In the bottom of the ninth, Wierman walked the first two hitters of the inning to put the tying and go-ahead runners on base. Following those two walks, Wierman was replaced on the mound by sophomore Jacob Petersheim (Broadway, Va./Broadway), who struck Hodges for the first out, before forcing Hella to fly out for the second out and ending the game by forcing Macully Sehr to ground out to the pitcher to end the game and seal his second save of the season.

In addition to Steinberg's four hits, Hella also had four hits, while Wigington, Campbell and Hodges each had two hits in the game for the Mountain Lions, who had 18 hits in the game.

Weaver (2-2) picked up the win in relief as he tossed 1.2 shutout innings as he allowed three hits and no runs, while walking two and striking out four.

Jon Sotto (0-1) took the loss in relief for the Mountain Lions as he retired only one of the six batters he faced as he tossed one-third of an inning and allowed five hits and five runs, while walking and striking out none.

The teams also left a combined 24 runners on base as the Pack left 11 and UCCS stranded 13 in the game that lasted a little over three-and-a-half hours.