LAKEWOOD, Colo. – Colorado State Pueblo baseball recorded season highs in hits (20), runs scored (19) and home runs (5) en route to posting a come-from-behind 19-12 victory over Colorado Christian in the second game of its three-game weekend series here Saturday afternoon at All Star Park.
 
With Saturday's win, the ThunderWolves improve to 8-2 overall on the season, while CCU falls to 1-11 overall. The two teams will conclude its three-game non-conference weekend series with a 2 p.m. game on Sunday, Feb. 25 at Rawlings Field.
 
The Pack, who trailed 12-11 heading into the eighth inning, recorded five hits and scored three runs in the top of the eighth inning to take a 14-12 lead and then added more insurance runs in the top of the ninth as they scored five runs on two hits with the big hit being a grand slam off the bat of junior second baseman Joseph Quintana (Golden, Colo./Erskine).
 
The grand slam by Quintana was his fourth hit of the game as he went 4-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored and had a season-high 7 RBI, which is tied for fourth-most in a single game in school history.
 
In addition to Quintana's four hits, senior leftfielder Christian Casteneda (El Paso, Texas/Otero JC), junior first baseman Brad Stone (Las Vegas, Nev./Southern Nevada) and junior catcher Brady Ingalls (Parker, Colo./Ponderosa) each had three hits and combined for 8 RBI as Casteneda had four RBI thanks to two doubles and his team-leading seventh homer of the season, while Stone had 3 RBI and Ingalls added an RBI.
 
CCU, who suffered a 9-1 loss to the Pack in Pueblo in Friday's series opener, jumped in front 2-0 in the bottom of the first thanks to an RBI single by Sawyer Shepherd and a sacrifice fly by Jonny Tewinkle off CSU Pueblo redshirt senior hurler Edwing Corrales (Delicias, Mexico/Otero JC).
 
The Pack, though, would get those two runs back and add two more in the top of the second to take a 4-2 lead. The scoring got started on an sacrifice fly by Quintana and then Ingalls added an RBI single to center to tie the game at 2-all. Junior shortstop Rob Mansour (La Verne, Caliif./Cuesta College) then added an RBI double to right to give the Pack a 3-2 lead and capped the scoring in the inning on a sacrifice fly by junior centerfielder Kade Snodgrass (Derby, Kan./Neosho County CC).
 
CCU retied the game in the bottom of the second on a 2-run single by Kade Carney.
 
The Pack would retake the lead in the top of the third as they used five hits and scored four runs to take an 8-4 lead. In the inning, Casteneda delivered an RBI double to center to start the scoring, before Stone followed with a 2-run homer over the fence in right and junior rightfielder Elijah Borjas (Denver, Colo./Lakewood) capped the scoring with a solo home run over the fence in left.
 
CCU scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth thanks to an RBI triple by Aaron Morgan and a 2-run homer by Carney off Corrales to pull within 8-7.
 
The Cougars retook the lead in the bottom of the fifth thanks to three hits and two runs to push in front 9-8. The big hit in the inning was a 2-run triple by Landry Hamm off Corrales.
 
CSU Pueblo retook the lead in the top of the sixth as they used two hits and two CCU errors to score three runs to take an 11-9 lead.
 
CCU, though, responded by scoring three runs, including a 2-run double by Caden Walton to take a 12-11 lead. Both runs came off sophomore lefthander Jake Olguin-Pacheco (Dener, Colo./Horizon), who was the second of four pitchers used by the Pack in the game.
 
After neither team scored in the seventh, the Pack used five hits and scored three runs to take a 14-12 lead. In the inning, Borjas reached on a two-out single and scored one batter later thanks to a 2-run homer by Quintana to take a 13-12 lead. The other run came home later in the inning on an RBI single by Snodgrass.
 
The Pack capped the scoring by plating five runs in the ninth with four of them coming on Quintana's grand slam and the other run coming on a lead-off homer by Casteneda, which was the 20th his Pack career. The 20 home runs are fourth on the school's all-time list.
 
Senior Nick Perry (Denton, Texas/Richland JC) pitched the final two innings to record his second save of the season. Perry struck out three in the eighth and worked himself out of a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the ninth to earn the save and seal the Pack's victory. 
 
CCU finished with 16 hits in the game as Morgan, Carney and Shepherd each had three hits and combined to score six runs and tally 7 RBI. Walton added two hits.
 
Six of the Cougars' 16 hits went for extra bases as they hit three doubles, two triples and a home run.
 
Junior Jacob Petersheim (Broadway, Va./Broadway) picked up the win in relief for the Pack as he tossed 1.1 innings and allowed one hit and no runs, while striking out one and walking none. Perry recorded five strikeouts, while walking two and allowing two hits in his two innings of work.
 
Corrales pitched 4.1 innings and allowed 11 hits and nine runs, while walking two and striking out two. In the game, the Pack's four pitchers combined for five walks and nine strikeouts.
 
Anthony Thomas (0-1), who was the fourth of six pitchers for the Cougars, took the loss on the mound as he tossed one inning and allowed four hits and three runs, while striking out two and walking none.
 
Brady Ritzmann started on the hill for the Cougars as he tossed three innings and allowed eight hits and eight runs, while walking one and striking out four. CCU's six pitchers walked six and fanned nine.
 
CCU committed two errors, while the Pack had one error.
 
The Pack left nine runners on base and were hit by three pitches, while CCU stranded five runners and were hit by two pitches.