GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (May 9, 2024) - Facing elimination at the 2024 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament, the 6-seeded Colorado State University Pueblo baseball team returned to the win column after posting a 16-5 victory over 5-seed MSU Denver on Friday at The Diamond at the Bus Bergman Sports Complex on the campus of Colorado Mesa University.
The Pack's offense erupted for 15 hits in the game and used three multi-run innings including a 9-run seventh inning to defeat the Roadrunners for the second time in five games.
13 batters came to the plate in the 9-run seventh inning.
The Pack offense was ledÂ
Elijah Borjas (Jr., Denver, Colo.) who went 3-for-5 with a home run, 5 RBI and two runs.Â
Catcher
Brady Ingalls (Jr., Parker, Colo.) collected four RBI of his own on a 2-for-3 day at the dish.
Kysen Howard (Jr., Overland Park, Kan.) had two hits including a triple and two runs scored.
Lead-off hitter
Jeremiah Sanchez (So., Pueblo, Colo.) scored three runs and drew a pair of walks while two-hole hitter
Rob Mansour (Jr., LaVerne, Calif.) recorded a hit, 2 RBI and two runs.Â
On the mound,
Edwing Corrales (R-Sr., Delicias, Mexico) tossed 2.0 innings and gave up three runs and one hit against four walks issued. He hit three batters and finished with two strikeouts.
Cameron Saso (Jr., McKinleyville, Calif.) came on in relief to start the third inning for the ThunderWolves and he lasted 3.0 innings and allowed two runs and four hits along with a strikeout.
Jacon Petersheim (Jr., Broadway, Va.) was called on to pitch the sixth inning and he pitched 2.0 innings of work and allowed just one hit to MSU Denver.
Game Recap
MSU Denver scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the first inning after the fourth consecutive walk issued by Corrales gave the Roadrunners an early 1-0 lead.
CSU Pueblo's offense came alive in the third inning when they scored four runs on four hits. The inning was highlighted by a 2-run single through the left side by Borjas.
A sac fly and another RBI-single accounted for the other two runs in the inning.
In the bottom half, the Roadrunners tallied back-to-back RBI hits along with a RBI ground out and tied the game at 4-4 heading to the fourth.
For the ThunderWolves in the fourth, they put up two more runs on a 2-run homer hit by Ingalls with one out and gave the Pack a 6-4 lead.
The next run to score would come in the bottom of the fifth for MSU Denver on a sac fly out.
After a scoreless sixth inning for both teams and the Pack clinging to the one-run lead, the Pack's offense exploded for nine runs on four hits. Borjas hit a 2-run home run and the Pack took advantage of a HBP and a pair of wild pitches and built a ten-run 15-5 lead through 7 1/2 innings.
In the bottom of the eighth and with Petersheim still on the mound having faced the minimum batters, Petersheim induced a ground out to the lead off hitter and struck out the second batter. He issued a walk but was able to retire the next batter with a ground out to shortstop.
In the final inning, CSU Pueblo's
Kade Snodgrass (Jr., Derby, Kan.) led off the inning with a walk and next batterÂ
Edmund King (Sr., Imperial Beach, Calif.) singled up the middle to put two runners.
Mansour hit a ground out to move both runners into scoring position for the hot-hitting Borjas to step into the box and collect another RBI with a single through the right side and give the Pack a commanding 16-5 lead.
Kade Douglas (Jr., Lakewood, Colo.) was called on to pitch the ninth inning and gave up a pair of two-out hits before closing the door with a line drive fly out to end the game in favor of the ThunderWolves.
Saso picked up the win on the mound and improves his record to 3-1 on the year. Jack Slominski is tabbed with the loss for MSU Denver and drops to 6-5 on the year.
On Deck
CSU Pueblo (29-22) continues its journey in the tournament and will return to action on Friday at 3 p.m. against No. 3 seeded Colorado School of Mines, who fell 11-3 to No. 2 seeded Regis in Thursday night's winners bracket match-up.
