PUEBLO, Colo. – Colorado State University Pueblo baseball opened its 2024 home schedule here Tuesday afternoon with an 11-7 victory over UCCS in a non-conference game at Rawlings Field.

With Tuesday's win, the ThunderWolves open the season with a 3-0 record, while UCCS fell to 2-5 on the season. The 3-0 start to the season is the best for the Pack since winning its first three games to open the 2019 season.

In Tuesday's game, the Pack offense recorded 11 hits and scored 11 runs, including scoring seven runs in the third inning to take a 9-3 lead. In fact, the Pack led 11-3 after four innings, before the Mountain Lions made things interesting over the final two innings as they scored two runs in both the eighth and ninth innings.

The Pack offense was paced by a 3-for-4 day at the plate with two runs and three RBI by junior centerfielder Kade Snodgrass (Derby, Kan./Neosho County CC). Snodgrass is now hitting .571 on the season to pace the Pack offense.

In addition to Snodgrass' three hits, junior first baseman Brad Stone (Las Vegas, Nev./Southern Nevada) added two hits and 3 RBI, while senior shortstop Cole Knightley (Solvang, Calif./Santa Ynez) drove home three runs on his 3-run homer in the third inning. Knightley also scored two runs in the win.

The Pack struck first in Tuesday's game in the second inning as they took advantage of a passed ball by UCCS catcher Joe Plise to score the first run of the game and added a second run later in the inning on an RBI single to left center by Snodgrass. The passed ball allowed junior second baseman Joseph Quintana (Golden, Colo./Erskine) to score from second base. Quintana had led off the inning with a walk issued by UCCS starter Gerrit Erickson.

UCCS, though, would take a 3-2 lead in the top of third inning thanks to a 3-run homer that sailed over the wall in left field off the bat of Alec Gomez. The homer by Gomez, which came off of Pack redshirt senior starting pitcher Edwing Corrales (Delicias, Mexico/Otero JC), was his fourth of the season.

The Pack would respond in the bottom of the third as they sent 12 batters to the plate and recorded six hits and scored seven runs to take a 9-3 lead in the game. The scoring in the inning began with Knightley's 3-run homer over the wall in left. Junior designated hitter Wyatt Reginato (Cottonwood, Calif./Folsom Lake) gave the Pack a 6-3 lead on his RBI single up the middle. Later in the inning, Stone delivered a bases-loaded double to left that gave the Pack a 9-3 lead. Stone's double came off of UCCS reliever Kyler Carpenter (0-1), who was the second of six pitchers used in the game by the Mountain Lions.

Leading 9-3, the Pack added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a 2-run homer down the left field line by Snodgrass. Snodgrass' homer plated Knightley, who had reached on fielder's choice earlier in the inning.

UCCS would plate two runs in the top of the eighth inning thanks to 2-run single by Plise off of junior reliever Caden English (Broomfield, Colo./Broomfield), who was the fifth pitcher of the game for the Pack. The eighth inning opened with UCCS putting two runners on base thanks to two walks and a single by Aaron Jenkins issued by junior reliever Luke Schmedding (Olathe, Kan./Cloud County CC).

In the top of the ninth, the Mountain Lions got run scoring singles by Colton Trudeau and Jenkins, before junior hurler Bradley Barkley (Alpine, Calif./Grossmont) got out of a jam by forcing Mason Pastorello to ground out to third to end the game with the tying run in the on-deck circle.

Corrales (1-0) picked up the win as he pitched the first four innings and allowed five hits and three runs, while walking one and striking out six. On the day, the Pack pitching staff recorded 10 strikeouts and walked five Mountain Lions.

UCCS finished the game with 12 hits, including two hits each by Jenkins, Plise and Kit Wigington.

The Pack left six runners on base and recorded four extra base hits, while UCCS left eight runners stranded and had two extra base hits in the loss.

CSU Pueblo also benefited from nine walks issued by UCCS pitching and stole two bases in the game. The Pack also struck out just six times in the game.

Neither team committed an error in the game, while UCCS turned two double plays and the Pack turned one double play.

CSU Pueblo will look to keep its perfect record intact this coming weekend (Feb. 16-18) as they travel to Emporia, Kan., for a four-game series with Emporia State. The teams will open the series with a single game on Friday, Feb. 16 at 3 p.m., before playing a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 17 beginning at 12 p.m. and concluding the weekend with a single game on Sunday, Feb. 18 beginning at 12 p.m.