PUEBLO, Colo. - Colorado State University Pueblo baseball concluded its four-game non-conference series with Northwest Nazarene here Saturday with an 8-1 setback to the Nighthawks on a cold and overcast afternoon at Rawlings Field. 

With the setback, the ThunderWolves fall to 6-6 on the season, while NNU improved to 9-5 on the year. The teams split the weekend series as the Pack won the first two games - 22-4 on Thursday and 20-12 in Friday's first game of the doubleheader, while NNU, who received votes in this week's NCBWA and D2 Baseball polls, won the nightcap of Friday's doubleheader 16-5 before taking the finale on Saturday. 

After combining for 79 runs and 83 hits in the first three games of the series, Saturday's series finale featured a combined 14 hits and nine runs between the two teams as NNU scored eight runs and had nine hits, while the Pack was held to a season-low one run on five hits. 

Despite its struggles offensively in Saturday's series finale, the Pack offense scored 48 runs and tallied 47 hits for the series, including tallying 21 extra-base hits as they hit 15 doubles, two triples and four home runs. Additionally, the Pack drew 19 walks and finished the weekend with a .379 batting average, a .629 slugging percentage and a 1.095 OPS. 

In Saturday's series finale, sophomore centerfielder Logan Kelly (San Juan Capistrano, Calif./Capistrano Valley Christian) had two of the Pack's five hits as he was 2-for-4 with a run scored. Fifth-year senior first baseman Christian Castaneda (El Paso, Texas/Otero JC) extended his hitting streak to 12 straight games with his one-out single in the fourth inning. For the series, Castaneda hit .643 with nine hits, six runs scored, four doubles, two home runs and had 10 RBI, while posting a 1.357 slugging percentage and a 2.063 OPS for the four games. 

NNU plated three runs in the top of the first inning thanks to a walk, a stolen base, an RBI single by Nin Burns II, an RBI double by Bryan Rojas and balk from Pack junior pitcher Dom Corgiat (Brookfield, Ill./Tarleton State) to take a 3-0 lead. 

The Pack got one of those runs back in the bottom of the first as Kelly led off the frame with a single and advanced to second on an error, moved to third on a ground out and scored on a sacrifice fly to center off the bat of senior leftfielder Wyatt Reginato (Cottonwood, Calif./Folsom Lake) to cut NNU's lead to 3-1. 

In the bottom of the fourth, the Pack loaded the bases thanks to Castaneda's single, a walk issued to junior designated hitter George Andrews (Overland Park, Kan./Coffeyvile CC) and an infield single by senior second baseman Brad Stone (Las Vegas, Nev./Southern Nevada), but Cole Calnon got out of the jam by forcing senior third baseman Kysen Howard (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley Northwest) to ground out to end the inning and leave the bases loaded. 

NNU added a run to its lead thanks to a three-base error by Howard at third base and a pinch hit RBI single to left center off the bat of Kaleb Karpstein off of junior hurler Luke Ruby (Fort Collins, Colo./Resurrection Christian), who replaced Corgiat on the mound in the second inning, in the fifth inning.

The Nighthawks added two more runs in the top of the seventh inning on a walk, an RBI double to left center by Rojas and an infield single by Knapstein off Pack sophomore reliever Jack Novak (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Thunder Ridge). 

NNU pushed across two more runs in the top of the ninth to push its lead to 8-1. 

In the bottom of the ninth, Calnon would retire the Pack in order to seal his second victory of the season and improve to 2-0 on the year. For the game, Calnon scattered five hits and allowed one unearned run, while walking two and striking out nine. Calnon, who threw 120 pitches in the game, retired the final 14 Pack hitters in row after allowing a single to Kelly in the fifth inning. 

Rojas paced NNU with four hits in five at-bats, including three doubles, while Knapstein had two hits and 2 RBI after coming into the game in the fifth inning as a pinch hitter and then staying in the game at first base.

Corgiat (0-1) took the loss for the Pack as he tossed one-plus innings and allowed two hits and three runs, while walking two and fanning one. On the day, the Pack's four pitchers combined to walk six NNU hitters. 

Ruby would toss five innings in relief and allowed three hits and one unearned run, while walking one and fanning five. 

The Pack defense committed three errors for the game and that led to two unearned runs for the Nighthawks. One of the errors was a fielding error in right field by senior Elijah Borjas (Denver, Colo./Lakewood). Borjas' error was the just the second of his career and first since committing an error against Colorado Christian on April 22, 2022. 

The Pack will hit the road next weekend for four games in three days at the Drury Baseball Classic. The Pack will open the event with an 11 a.m. MT game on Friday, Feb. 21 against Grand Valley State, before facing Saginaw Valley State and Drury on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. MT respectively and then concludes the event on Sunday, Feb. 23 against Maryville (Mo.) University at 11 a.m. MT.