COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Colorado State University Pueblo Baseball split a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference doubleheader here Saturday afternoon against the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs at Mountain Lion Park.  

The ThunderWolves opened Saturday's doubleheader by recording 18 hits and scoring a season-high 16 runs in posting a 16-5 win, before UCCS used 15 hits and scored 12 runs in a 12-4 win in the nightcap. The teams will conclude their four-game series to open RMAC play with a 12 p.m. game on Sunday, March 12.

With the doubleheader spilt, the Pack falls to 4-13 overall and 2-1 in the RMAC, while UCCS moves to 8-11 overall and 1-2 in the league.

Game 1 | CSU Pueblo 16, UCCS 5
In Saturday's opener, the Pack offense followed up Friday's play with another strong game offensively as they rapped out 18 hits, including extra base hits that featured a season high three home runs and scored a season-high 16 runs. In Friday's series opener, the Pack scored a then season high 15 runs and recorded a season-high 20 hits.

Senior first baseman Reggie Williams (Castle Rock, Colo./Douglas County) went 3-for-3 at the plate with four runs scored and 5 RBI, including hitting his first home run of the season, a 3-run shot in the third inning. In addition to Williams, junior catcher Brady Prewitt (Raytown, Mo./Iowa Western CC) was 3-for-4 at the plate with three runs scored and 4 RBI and sophomore leftfielder Elijah Borjas (Denver, Colo./Lakewood) was also 3-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored and 2 RBI.

For the game, all nine starters recorded at least one hit in the victory and eight of the nine starters scored at least one run.

The Pack, who scored all their runs in the first five innings of the seven inning game, jumped out in front 2-0 in the top of the first inning thanks to a walk and stolen base by Williams and back-to-back RBI doubles off the bat of Prewitt and junior designated hitter Christian Casteneda (El Paso, Texas/Otero JC).

CSU Pueblo's lead grew to 6-0 in the top of the second inning thanks to an RBI single by Prewitt and a 3-run homer over the wall in left field from Casteneda off of UCCS starting pitcher Ryder Mancuso.

The Mountain Lions would get one of those runs back in the bottom of the second thanks to an RBI double by Ronan Hella off of junior hurler Tyler Curtis (Las Vegas, Nev./Southern Idaho), who started on the mound for the Pack.

Pueblo would add five more runs in the top of the third to push its lead to 11-1. The big hit in the inning was Williams' 3-run homer over the wall in right center to give the Pack a 9-1 lead. In addition to Williams' 3-run homer, Prewitt drove home a run on his RBI single to center and redshirt senior shortstop Trey Vasquez (Greeley, Colo./Dodge City CC) hitting an RBI single to left off of UCCS reliever Joe McDermott, who replaced Mancuso on the mound to open the third inning.

UCCS would cut into the Pack's lead in the bottom of the third inning as they used a 2-run double off the bat of Kasey Campbell to pull within 11-3.

The Pack added four more runs in the fourth to push its lead to 15-3. Borjas began the scoring with his 2-run homer over the wall in left field, while Williams brought home the third run on his RBI single to center and after senior centerfielder Noah Hennings (Draper, Utah/Southern Idaho) reached on a double, Prewitt brought home the fourth run on a sacrifice fly.

UCCS got a 2-run double in the bottom of the fourth inning from Caleb Stubbings to drop the Pack's lead to 15-5.

In the top of the fifth, sophomore third baseman Kysen Howard (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley Northwest) reached on an error to open the inning, moved to second on a balk and reached third when Borjas reached on an error and after junior Joseph Quintana (Golden, Colo./Erskine) struck out for the second out of the inning, Williams delivered an RBI single to left to give the Pack a 16-5 lead.

From that point, the Pack turned the game over to Curtis, who would keep the Mountain Lions off the scoreboard in the final three innings to help seal his second win of the season.

Curtis (2-1) tossed all seven innings and allowed 12 hits and five runs, while walking one and fanning five.

UCCS finished the game with 12 hits, including a 3-for-3 effort at the plate from Hella. Campbell, Stubbings and Kit Wigington each had two hits in the setback.

Mancuso (1-1) took the loss on the mound for UCCS as he tossed two innings and allowed four hits and six runs, while walking three and fanning three.

UCCS committed four errors, while the Pack had two errors.

Both teams combined to leave 14 runners on base as UCCS stranded eight and the Pack left six runners on base.

Game 2 | UCCS 12, CSU Pueblo 4
In the nightcap of Saturday's game, the Mountain Lions cooled off the Pack's bats as CSU Pueblo finished with seven hits and committed four errors that led to two unearned runs. UCCS had 15 hits and scored four of the six innings, including tallying four runs each in the third and fourth innings.

Prewitt and Casteneda each had two hits in the nightcap, while Williams had a hit and scored one run to extend his hit streak to 13 consecutive games.

The Pack would jump in front 2-0 in the top of the first inning thanks to Williams leading off the game by getting hit by pitch from UCCS starter John Hoffman. Williams would eventually score on an RBI single by Casteneda and then Vasquez added a second run on his sacrifice fly to left field.

UCCS tied the game in the bottom of the first thanks to RBI singles by Stubbings and Tyler Richardson off of sophomore Owen Rudolphi (Eureka, Mo./Eureka), who started on the mound for the Pack.

The Pack retook the lead in the third inning on Casteneda's one-out solo home run over the wall in left field to give CSU Pueblo a 3-2 lead.

Pueblo's lead would be short lived as UCCS recorded six hits and used a Pack error to score four runs in the bottom of the third inning to give the Mountain Lions a 6-3 lead.
UCCS' lead grew to 10-3 in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a 2-run homer by Campbell, a RBI groundout by Hella and an RBI single by Macully Sehr off of graduate student Ruben Portillo (Thornton, Colo./Eastern Arizona CC), who replaced Rudolphi on the mound with no outs in the fourth.

Howard brought the Pack within 10-4 in top of the fifth on his sacrifice fly, but that would be the only run Hoffman would allow as the Pack left the bases loaded.

UCCS capped the game's scoring in the bottom of the fifth inning thanks to a solo homer by Stubbings and an RBI single by Hayden Iverson.

Campbell paced the Mountain Lions in the nightcap with three hits and three runs scored, while Sehr, Stubbings, Brad Madison and Tyler Richardson each had two hits in the win.

Rudolphi (0-3) took the loss on the mound as he pitched three-plus innings and allowed 11 hits and eight runs, while walking two and striking out five.

Hoffman (2-0) earned the win for UCCS as he tossed six innings and allowed seven hits and four runs (three earned), while walking three and striking out five.

The Pack left nine runners on base, while UCCS also stranded nine runners on base.