GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Colorado State University Pueblo baseball saw its late innings rally fall short here Friday evening as the ThunderWolves suffered a 16-12 setback to 11th-ranked Colorado Mesa in the opening game of a four-game Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference series at The Diamond on the Colorado Mesa campus.
 
With the setback, the Pack fall to 18-15 overall and 7-10 in the RMAC, while Colorado Mesa won its fourth straight game and improved to 22-9 overall and 15-2 in the RMAC.
 
The two teams will continue the RMAC series with a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. and then conclude the series with a 12 p.m. single game on Sunday at The Diamond.
 
In Friday's opener, the Pack offense recorded 12 hits and scored three or more runs in three of nine innings, including scoring seven runs over the final three innings of the contest that featured a combined 28 runs, 24 hits, eight errors and 17 runners left on base. The eight errors led to a total of six unearned runs, including five by the Mavericks.
 
Pack senior leftfieldfer Christian Castaneda (El Paso, Texas/Otero JC) went 3-for-6 at the plate with two runs scored and 3 RBI, including hitting two home runs to push his season total to 13, which is second-most in the league. It marked Castaneda's fourth multiple home run game this season. 
 
In addition to Castaneda, junior first baseman Kysen Howard (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley Northwest) and junior catcher Brady Ingalls (Parker, Colo./Ponderosa) each had two hits and combined for three runs and 3 RBI, while sophomore designated hitter Jeremiah Sanchez (Pueblo, Colo./Pueblo West) finished with a career-high 4 RBI.
 
CMU, who has now won five straight games in the series against the Pack, jumped in front 1-0 in the bottom of the second on a solo home run by Christos Stefanos off junior Cameron Saso (McKinleyville, Calif./Folsom Lake), who earned the start on the mound for the Pack.
 
The Pack offense would explode for five runs on five hits in the top of the fourth to take a 5-1 lead. Castaneda got the scoring started on two-run homer over the wall in left. Four batters later, Ingalls drove home the third run of the inning on an RBI single down the third base line and then junior shortstop Rob Mansour (Las Verne, Calif./Cuesta College) brought home the fourth run on his RBI ground out to first. The fifth run came home on an RBI double down the right field line from Sanchez off Mesa starter Evan Bunevich.
 
CMU would get two of those runs back in the bottom of the fifth on a 2-run homer over the left field wall to pull the Mavs within 5-3.
 
The Mavericks would retake the lead in the bottom of the sixth as they sent 10 hitters to the plate and scored six runs on four hits and two Pack errors to take 9-5 lead. The big hit in the inning was a 2-run double down the right field line by Jonathon Gonzalez, while two more runs came on a fielding error by Mansour at short.
 
CSU Pueblo would get one of those runs back in the top of the seventh on a lead-off homer by Castaneda off Tyler Glowacki, who replaced Bunevich to start the seventh. Castaneda's homer pushed the Pack within 9-6.
 
The Pack would tie the game in the top of the eighth thanks to three runs on one hit and one Maverick error. In the inning, Mansour drew a walk to open the frame, moved to third on a double by freshman centerfielder Logan Kelly (San Juan Capistrano, Calif./Capistrano Valley Christian) and both runners would score after Sanchez reached on a three-base fielding error by CMU centerfielder Rob Sharrar. Later in the inning, Sanchez would score on a wild pitch to tie the game at 9-all.
 
CMU would come right back and plate seven runs on four hits in the bottom of the eighth to take a 16-9 lead. Stefanos brought home the first two runs on a two-run single to left and added two more runs on a single to short by Max Berni and capped the scoring on a two-run homer to left center from Declan Wiesner off freshman Jack Novak (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Thunder Ridge), who was the fourth of five pitchers in the game for the Pack. Wiesner's homer gave the Mavs a 16-9 lead.
 
The Pack would make things interesting in the top of the ninth against CMU closer JJ Almeda. Junior second baseman Brad Stone (Las Vegas, Nev./Southern Nevada) led off the inning with a walk, moved to second on a one-out single by Ingalls and the Pack then loaded the bases when Kelly reached on a fielding error by Almeda. With the bases loaded, Sanchez drew a walk to pull the Pack within 16-10 and then Howard followed with a 2-run single through the left side to bring the Pack within 16-12. Almeda would end the game as he forced Castaneda to ground into a fielder's choice to end the game as Sanchez was out at third on the play.
 
Novak (2-2) took the loss for the Pack as he failed to retire any of the six batters he faced as he allowed three hits and five runs, while walking three. For the game, the Pack's five pitchers walked five and struck out 10 Mavs, including six strikeouts from Saso in his five innings of work.
 
Stefanos paced the Mavs with a 3-for-5 effort at the plate with two runs scored and three RBI, while Wiesner was 2-for-4 at the plate with three runs scored and 2 RBI. Eight of CMU's nine starters in its line-up recorded at least one hit in the win.
 
Ethan Voss (4-1), the third of four pitchers in the game for the Pack, earned the win as he tossed one inning and allowed one hit and three runs, while walking one and striking out two. For the game, the Mavs pitchers walked seven and struck out eight.
 
Each team committed four errors each in the game and the Pack left 10 runners on base, while Mesa left seven runners on base.