ALAMOSA, Colo. – Colorado State University Pueblo baseball suffered two heartbreaking losses here in Saturday's Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference doubleheader against Adams State at the ASU Baseball Field.
The ThunderWolves opened Saturday's doubleheader with a 9-5 loss to the Grizzlies and then fell 3-2 in 13 innings in the nightcap. The 13 inning game was the longest for the Pack since playing 14 innings in a 5-3 loss at home New Mexico Highlands on April 30, 2016.
With the two setbacks, CSU Pueblo falls to 17-27 overall and 13-14 in the RMAC, while Adams State improves to 12-28 overall and 7-16 in the RMAC. Despite the two setbacks, the Pack remain in fourth place in the RMAC standings.
The two teams will conclude the four-game weekend with a nine-inning game on Sunday, April 23 beginning at 12 p.m. CSU Pueblo will be looking for a series split as they opened the series on Friday with a 23-2 win, before losing both games on Saturday.
GAME 1 | Adams State 9, CSU Pueblo 5
In Saturday's opener, the Pack jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the first three innings, but the Grizzlies rallied to score five runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a 6-5 lead and then added three more runs in the fifth to post the victory.
The Pack were outhit, 10-8, in the opener and they committed two errors that led to four unearned runs, which ultimately were the difference in the game.
Sophomore rightfielder
Elijah Borjas (Denver, Colo./Lakewood) went 3-for-3 at the plate with 2 RBI, while senior first baseman
Reggie Williams (Castle Rock, Colo./Douglas County) with a 2-for-3 effort at the plate with 2 RBI.
The Pack jumped in front 1-0 in the top of the first inning on an RBI double by Borjas, which scored Williams, who had opened the game with a single up the middle.
CSU Pueblo's lead grew to 4-0 in the top of the second thanks to an RBI single by junior designated hitter
Edmund King (Imperial Beach, Calif./Southwestern) and a 2-run single by Williams off ASU starter Cesar Loma.
ASU would get one of those runs back in the bottom of the second on an RBI groundout by Paul Giglo off junior hurler
Nick Perry (Denton, Texas/Richland JC).
The Pack pushed its lead to 5-1 in the top of the third on a lead-off homer by Borjas. The homer by Borjas was his fifth of the season.
In the bottom of the third, the Grizzlies sent nine hitters to the plate and scored five runs on six hits and a Pack error to take a 6-5 lead. Two of the runs were scored on a single by Matt Bathauer.
The Grizzles pushed its lead to 9-5 in the bottom of the fifth thanks to two hits, a wild pitch by graduate student hurler
Ruben Portillo (Thornton, Colo./Eastern Arizona CC) and a Pack error.
After scoring its fifth and final run in the third inning, the Pack were limited to just three baserunners over the final four innings of the game, including being retired in order in the sixth and seventh innings.
Ayden Tausher went 3-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored, while Giglo added two hits in the win.
Perry (2-5) took the loss on the mound for the Pack as he tossed four-plus innings and allowed nine hits and nine runs (five earned runs), while walking one and striking out six. Perry has recorded six or more strikeouts in six of his 10 starts this season.
Loma (3-4) picked up the win for the Grizzlies as he tossed four innings and allowed seven hits and five runs, while walking two and striking out five. Ty Addington pitched three shutout innings and allowed one hit and had two strikeouts to pick up his second save of the year.
ASU left five runners on base and the Pack stranded three runners on base in the opener.
GAME 2 | Adams State 3, CSU Pueblo 2 (13 inns.)
Meanwhile, in the nightcap, the Pack used an RBI single by sophomore third baseman
Kysen Howard (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley Northwest) in the sixth inning to tie the game at 1-1.
Following Howard's RBI single, neither team would score for the next six innings until the Pack scored a run in the top of the 13th on an RBI single to left by redshirt senior shortstop
Trey Vasquez (Greeley, Colo./Dodge City CC) to take a 2-1 lead. The Pack, though, would leave the bases loaded in the inning after Wilhelm Lorenz forced senior leftfielder
Zac Hanenberg (Cañon City, Colo./ Cañon City) to pop out to left.
In the bottom of the 13th, junior
Dylan Weaver (Fruita, Colo./Highland CC) replaced redshirt junior
Edwing Corrales (Delicias, Mexico/Otero JC) on the mound. Weaver proceeded to load the bases on back-to-back singles and a hit batsman with no outs, before he forced Tausher to hit a ground ball up the first base line that Williams misplayed for an error that allowed two runs to score to seal the Grizzlies' win.
Corrales pitched a career-best 7.2 innings in relief as he allowed three hits and no runs, while walking one and striking out a career-high six.
The Grizzlies took a 1-0 lead in the nightcap in the bottom of the third on an RBI single by Matt Bathauer of sophomore
Travis Farrell (Las Vegas, Nev./Otero JC), who started on the mound for the Pack. Farrell tossed 4.1 innings and allowed two hits and one unearned run, while walking three and striking out two.
In Saturday's nightcap, the two teams each recorded seven hits and left a combined 20 runners on base as the Pack left 11 on base and ASU stranded nine.
Connor Murray started for ASU and he tossed six innings and allowed five hits and one run, while walking one and striking out one.
Lorenz (2-1) earned the win as he retired one of the two hitters he faced in the game.
Howard and Vasquez each had two hits in the nightcap for the Pack, while Mike Bathauer was 3-for-4 at the plate and Joseph Raker added two hits in the win.
