PUEBLO, Colo. - The Colorado State University Pueblo ThunderWolves closed out a four-game series with Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference foe, the MSU Denver Roadrunners on a high note, earning a 12-4 victory on Saturday afternoon at Rawlings Field to secure a series split.
The win improves CSU Pueblo's overall record to 25-17 and 15-9 in RMAC play, while MSU Denver drops to 25-17 and 17-7 in conference action. CSU Pueblo now officially clinches a spot in the RMAC Tournament with Saturday's win.
Game four of the series spanned two days due to inclement weather, which paused the game after one inning on Friday. Action resumed Saturday with the ThunderWolves trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the first inning.
Tyler Clementz picked up the win for CSU Pueblo, tossing six solid innings, giving up just five hits and two earned runs while striking out four. Drew Peters took the loss for MSU Denver, allowing six earned runs on seven hits in just over two innings of work.
Offensively, Elijah Borjas and Jeremiah Sanchez powered the ThunderWolves. Borjas went 3-for-5 with three RBIs, while Sanchez had a huge day at the plate, going 2-for-3 with three RBIs, three runs scored, and two triples.
After trailing early, CSU Pueblo surged ahead in the bottom of the second when Borjas delivered a two-RBI single to put the ThunderWolves up 5-4. They added two more runs in the third, including another RBI triple from Sanchez, to extend the lead to 7-4.Â
A four-run fourth inning put the game firmly in CSU Pueblo's control, highlighted by Borjas' leadoff triple and Sanchez's second triple of the game, followed by a perfectly executed squeeze bunt by Rob Mansour. The ThunderWolves added one final run in the sixth when Christian Castaneda drove in Sanchez with a sharp single to center.
Jack Novak closed out the game in the seventh with a clean 1-2-3 inning in a non-save situation, sealing the 12-4 win.
UP NEXT FOR THE PACK
CSU Pueblo wraps up its regular season next week, beginning with the annual Pack the Park event on Friday night at Runyon Field. The weekend series will conclude with Senior Day on Sunday afternoon at Rawlings Field.