PUEBLO, Colo. - The Colorado State University Pueblo Baseball split Sunday's doubleheader at home versus Sioux Falls to take two games to one lead in the series, heading into Monday's final game beginning a 11 a.m. 
 
With the 1-1 Sunday, the Pack is now 8-7 overall, while Sioux Falls is now 4-4. The game win helped the Cougars tie the series at a game apiece as the Pack won the series opener with a 14-1 run-ruled win on Saturday. CSU Pueblo retook command of the series with a game two victory 5-1.

HOW IT HAPPENED
In the opener, the Pack outhit the Cougars, 9-7, as senior leftfielder Wyatt Reginato (Cottonwood, Calif./Folsom Lake) and senior third baseman Kysen Howard (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley Northwest) each had two hits in the loss. The Pack, though, left eight runners on base in the game.
 
USF got on the scoreboard first in Sunday's doubleheader opener as they used a single, an error on a pickoff attempt and an RBI double by Ben Serie off of junior Luke Ruby (Fort Collins, Colo./Resurrection Christian) to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning.
 
The Pack tied the game in the bottom of the first thanks to an RBI single off the bat of Reginato, which drove home freshman designated hitter Noah Williams (Carson, Calif./Redondo Union), who led off the inning with a double, stole third and scored on the single to left center.
 
USF added two runs in the top of the second thanks to a walk, back-to-back singles, the latter being an RBI single to center by Nolan Drossel and an RBI groundout by Dominic Vogel.
 
The Pack responded in the bottom of the second as they put the first two batters on base thanks to a leadoff walk issued to sophomore centerfielder Logan Kelly (San Juan Capistrano, Calif./Capistrano Valley Christian) and a bunt single by Howard and those two runners would eventually record stolen bases and the junior catcher Cody Macias (San Diego, Calif./Granite Hills) brought home Kelly on an RBI groundout to second to drop USF's lead to 3-2.
 
Ruby would record back-to-back perfect innings in the third and fourth frames as he needed just 13 pitches in each of those innings to retire the Cougars in order to keep the score 3-2 in favor of Sioux Falls.
 
The Pack would tie the game in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a one-out double to Howard and an RBI single to left center off the bat of junior second baseman Devean Alvarez (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Chaffey College) off of USF starting pitcher Brady Baur.
 
In the botom of fifth, the Pack put the first two batters on base thanks to back-to-back singles by senior shortstop Rob Mansour (La Verne, Calif./Cuesta College) andf Reginato, but Rees, who relieved Baur to start the inning, got out of the jam as he retied the middle of the Pack line-up in order to keep the score tied.
 
USF broke up the tie in the top of the sixth as Jaxon Haase drilled a 2-1 pitch from Ruby over the left field wall for a 2-run homer to give the Cougars a 5-3 lead. The homer was the first of the season for Haase, who entered the game at first base in the bottom of the fifth when Rees moved to the mound.
 
Fifth-year senior first baseman Christian Castaneda (El Paso, Texas/Otero JC) hit a one-out solo homer off of USF closer Dylan Immel in the bottom of the seventh to pull the Pack within a run at 5-4. Immel would retire the next two Pack hitters in order to seal his third save of the season.
 
Ruby (0-1) pitched six innings and allowed seven hits and five runs (four earned), while walking one and fanning five.

GAME TWO
Nick Perry pitched an absolute gem in game two, pitching four strong innings, allowing just two hits and one run to secure the victory.

Sioux Falls took an early lead in game two with a Dominic Vogel leadoff solo home run, but that is all the offense that the Cougars were able to generate for the game. 

Trailing 1-0 going into the bottom half of the first inning, Williams and Reginato put pressure on the starter Logan Anderson with a walk and a single. Both runners advanced to scoring position, which was followed up by Williams scoring on another passed ball to tie the game at 1-1.

Castaneda followed that up with an RBI single to left to score Reginato. Kysen Howard knocked in the third run of the inning with a rip single to left field to put the Pack up 3-1.

In the fourth inning, with the Pack still up 3-1, Kade Snodgrass singled to left field to knock in Howard, giving the Pack some wiggle room up 4-1.

The Pack were able to get another insurance run in the sixth inning when Jeremiah Sanchez pinch hit for Brad Stone and came around to score on a throwing error from the catcher. 

Tyler Clementz and Alex Oliver pitched three innings of shutout ball, only allowing two hits to secure the victory for the ThunderWolves.