PUEBLO, Colo. - Colorado State University Pueblo baseball used a two solo home runs from junior third baseman Kysen Howard (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley Northwest) in the first three innings and a solid starting pitching effort from sophomore Luke Ruby (Fort Collins, Colo./Resurrection) en route to posting an 8-0 win over Colorado Christian in Sunday's Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference series finale against the Cougars at Rawlings Field. 

With the victory, the ThunderWolves win the weekend series 3-1 and improve its record to 23-17 overall and 12-12 in the RMAC, while CCU falls to 5-32 overall and 3-17 in the league. Despite the series win, the Pack remains in sixth place in the league standings with three weeks left in the regular season. 

Howard's two homers pushed his season total to five, while Ruby tossed seven shutout innings and allowed just five hits, while striking out three and walking none to improve to 3-2 on the season. Ruby has now recorded 25 strikeouts and just walked seven in 31 innings on the season. 
 
The Pack offense was paced by two hits from Howard, junior catcher Brady Ingalls (Parker, Colo./Ponderosa) and junior shortstop Rob Mansour (La Verne, Calif./Cuesta College). Howard and freshman centerfielder Logan Kelly (San Juan Capistrano, Calif./Capistrano Valley Christian) each scored two runs in the win.
 
All eight of the Pack's runs came in the first four innings as they led 8-0 heading to the top of the fifth inning.
 
The Pack got on the scoreboard first in the bottom of the first inning on an RBI double by sophomore designated hitter Jeremiah Sanchez (Pueblo, Colo./Pueblo West). Sanchez would score after stealing third and scoring on a throwing error by the CCU catcher Rob Panlasigui to give the Pack a 2-0 lead. Howard would give the Pack a 3-0 lead on his solo homer over the wall in left field. 
 
Howard gave the Pack a 4-0 lead in the third inning on his 2-out solo home run over the left field wall.

The Pack broke the game open in the bottom of the fourth as they scored four runs on two hits to take an 8-0 lead. The scoring started on a sacrifice fly to deep right center by Sanchez and then a bases loaded wild pitch from CCU starting pitcher Justin Estrada gave the Pack its second run. The next two runs scored on a 2-run double to the wall in left center off the bat of senior leftfielder Christian Castaneda (El Paso, Texas/Otero JC). 
 
Following the four run fourth inning, the Pack turned the game over to Ruby's pitching as the retired nine of the final 11 hitters he faced as he allowed lead-off singles to open both the sixth and seventh inning, but both of those base runners were erased on a fielder's choice in the sixth inning and a double play in the seventh on the final batter Ruby faced in the game.
 
Senior Dylan Weaver (Fruita, Colo./Highland CC) relieved Ruby to open the eighth and he walked three of the four batters he faced to load the bases. The third walk chased him from the game and freshman Jack Novak (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Thunder Ridge) took his spot on the mound retired the next CCU hitters to leave the bases loaded and preserve the shutout.
 
In the ninth, junior Kade Douglas (Lakewood, Colo./Hill College) replaced Novak and would put two runners on base thanks to an error and a single, but he ended the game by forcing Panlasigui to fly out to right to end the game.
 
CCU finished with six hits in Sunday's series finale with Kade Carney recording two of those six hits.
 
Estrada (0-4) pitched 3.2 innings for the Cougars and allowed seven hits and eight runs, all of which were earned, while walking one and fanning four. Jaxson Simmons, who pitched 3.1 innings and Cole Kennedy, who pitched the eighth, held the Pack scoreless over the final four innings.
 
The Pack left seven runners on base and turned two double plays, while CCU stranded nine runners on base and turned a double play. Both teams each had an error in the game.

The Pack will step out of RMAC play on Tuesday, April 16 as they travel to Albuquerque, N.M., for a 6 p.m. non-conference game at NCAA Division I foe, University of New Mexico. Following the UNM game, the Pack will play its annual "Pack the Park"" game on Friday, April 19 at Runyon Field in Pueblo. First pitch for the "Pack the Park" game is scheduled for 7 p.m.