PUEBLO, Colo. - Colorado State University Pueblo baseball recorded season highs in runs (22) and hits (22) in posting an impressive 22-4 run-ruled victory here Thursday afternoon over Northwest Nazarene in the opening game of a four-game non-conference series at Rawlings Field. 

With the win, the ThunderWolves improve to 5-4 overall on the season, while NNU fell to 7-4 on the season. The teams will play a doubleheader beginning at noon on Friday and conclude the series with a single game on Saturday beginning at noon. 

The top four hitters in the Pack line-up went 11-for-16 at the plate and combined to score seven runs and drive in nine runs, including senior leftfielder Wyatt Reginato (Cottonwood, Calif./Folsom Lake) bringing home five runs as he was 2-for-4 at the plate and fifth-year senior first baseman Christian Castaneda (El Paso, Texas/Otero JC) was 3-for-5 wth two runs scored and 2 RBI. While the top four hitters in the line-up were strong in Thursday's series opener, senior third baseman Kysen Howard (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley Northwest) went 4-for-4 at the plate with three runs scored and 5 RBI from the No. 8 spot in the line-up. 

CSU Pueblo scored all of its runs from the third to the sixth inning as they tallied three runs in the third, four runs each in the fourth and fifth innings and sealed the run-ruled win with 11 runs in the sixth. Eight of the Pack's nine starters recorded at least one hit in the game, while eight of its starters scored at least a run. 

Senior lefthander Travis Farrell (Las Vegas, Nev./Otero JC), who was named this week's Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week, tossed his third straight quality start as he pitched six innings and allowed eight hits and two runs (one earned run), while striking out six and walking one to improve his record to 2-0 on the season. In 18.1 innings this season, Farrell has posted a 1.96 ERA as he has recorded 17 strikeouts and walked just two. 

Freshman Frank Flores (Colorado Springs, Colo./Air Academy) made his collegiate debut in the seventh inning as he allowed two hits and two runs, while striking out two and walking two. 

NNU, who received votes in this week's NCBWA and D2 Baseball polls, jumped in front 2-0 in the top of the first inning off of Farrell thanks to four singles, including RBI singles by Nin Burns II and Cris Enriquez. 

The Pack, though, would score three runs on four hits in the bottom of the third to take a 3-2 lead. The big hit in the inning a full-count infield single by Reginato that plated two runs. The other run came home on another infield single by Castaneda. 

The Pack offense would take advantage of three hits and two errors to plate four runs and take a 7-2 lead. Two of the three hits were back-to-back doubles to open the frame by senior second baseman Brad Stone (Las Vegas, Nev./Southern Nevada) and Howard, while the other hit was an RBI single by senior catcher Brady Ingalls (Parker, Colo./Ponderosa). 

In the bottom of the fifth, the Pack added three runs to take an 11-2 lead thanks to a 2-run triple to left center by Howard, an RBI double by freshman leftfielder Noah Williams (Carson, Calif./Redondo Union) and an RBI single by senior shortstop Rob Mansour (La Verne, Calif./Cuesta College). 

Leading 11-2, the Pack put the game away in the bottom of the sixth as they sent 15 hitters to the plate and scored 11 runs on 10 hits to take a 22-2 lead. In the inning, Castaneda batted two times as he led off the inning with a single and would record an RBI double later in the inning that plated the Pack's ninth run of the inning. Other RBI doubles in the inning came from Reginato, junior Devean Alvarez (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Chaffey College) and redshirt sophomore Cooper Latino (Parker, Colo./Douglas County). Alvarez's and Latino's doubles came as pinch hitters. Alvarez also was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to allow the first run of the inning to score. 

In the seventh, NNU got an RBI single from Burns and an RBI groundout by Enriquez to cap the scoring. 

Kailer Saunders (1-1) started on the mound for the Nighthawks and went 2.2 innings and allowed six hits and three runs, while walking one and striking out three. The Nighthawks used five pitchers in the game as all five pitchers allowed runs in the game. 

Burns paced NNU with three of its 10 hits and he added 2 RBI. 

The series will continue on Friday, Feb. 14 with a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m. The teams will then conclude the series with a single game on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 12 p.m.