PUEBLO, Colo. - Colorado State University Pueblo Baseball split a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference doubleheader here Sunday afternoon against Colorado School of Mines at Rawlings Field.
Mines opened the doubleheader with a 12-6 win before the ThunderWolves posted an 8-5 win in the nightcap of the doubleheader.
With the doubleheader split, the Pack improved to 19-14 overall and 9-6 in the RMAC, while Mines moved to 11-25 overall and 6-13 in the league. The loss in the first game on Sunday snapped a five-game winning streak for the Pack. The Pack will look to take the series on Monday, April 7 as the two teams play a nine-inning game starting at noon.
In the doubleheader, the Pack were outscored, 17-14, and outhit, 24-21, by the Orediggers. In the first game, Mines scored 12 runs and recorded 14 hits, while the Pack had six runs on 10 hits. Then, in the nightcap, the Pack had 11 hits and scored eight runs, while Mines had 10 hits and five runs.
On the day, senior right fielder
Elijah Borjas (Denver, Colo./Lakewood) went 4-for-6 in the doubleheader with 3 RBI, while senior left fielder
Wyatt Reginato (Cottonwood, Calif./Folsom Lake) and junior second baseman
Devean Alvarez (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Chaffey College) each had three hits and combined to score three runs. Fifth-year senior
Edmund King (Imperial Beach, Calif./Southwestern), senior third baseman
Brad Stone (Las Vegas, Nev./Southern Nevada) and junior designated hitter
George Andrews (Overland Park, Kan./Coffeyville CC) each had two hits on the day.
GAME TWO
In the second game of Sunday's twinbill, the Pack trailed 1-0 heading to the bottom of the third inning, but they scored three runs in both the third and fourth innings to take a 6-2 lead and then added insurance runs in the fifth and sixth inning to hold off a late rally by the Orediggers.
Alvarez paced the Pack offense in the nightcap as he was 3-for-3 at the plate with two runs scored, while Reginato was 2-for-3 with 2 RBI and a run scored. Freshman designated hitter
Noah Williams (Carson, Calif./Redondo Union) scored two runs and recorded his team-leading sixth triple of the season.
Mines took a 1-0 lead in the nightcap of the twinbill thanks to a sacrifice fly off Evan Bilter's bat in the play's opening inning. Bilter's fly ball center scored Jackson Woolwine, who opened the frame with a double and moved to third on a ground out against fifth-year senior
Nick Perry (Denton, Texas/Richland JC) who started on the mound for the Pack.
The Pack took the lead in the bottom of the third as they used two hits and an error on a failed pick-off attempt to plate three runs and take a 3-1 lead. The first run came home on a sacrifice fly by Reginato, while the next run came home on a RBI single by Borjas and the third run scored on a fielder's choice grounder by sophomore center fielder
Logan Kelly (San Juan Capistrano, Calif./Capistrano Valley Christian).
Mines cut the Pack's lead to 3-2 in the top of the fourth inning thanks to a 2-out triple by Alex Dunagan and an RBI single up the middle by Tyler Easter.
The Pack answered back in the bottom of the fourth with back-to-back RBI triples by Williams and Reginato to give the Pack a 5-2 lead and added a third run on a sacrifice fly by Castaneda to take a 6-2 lead. The Pack would eventually load the bases thanks to two walks sandwiched around a single by Kelly with two outs before Peter Lynch relieved Sam Monk and struck out senior shortstop
Kade Snodgrass (Derby, Kan./Neosho County CC) looking to leave the bases full.
Mines added two runs in the top of the fifth thanks to two hits, including an RBI double by Pina to cut the Pack's lead to 6-4.
The Pack pushed its lead to 7-4 in the bottom of the fifth as Borjas drew a bases-loaded walk from Lynch, before Lynch got out of the jam by striking out Kelly.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Pack added an insurance run thanks to a pinch-hit triple by King and an RBI single down the right field line by Alvarez to take an 8-4 lead. King's triple was the 18th this season for the Pack.
Mines would make things interesting in the seventh against junior reliever
Alex Oliver as Tyler Hummel walked to lead off the inning, and moved to second on a ground out, before reaching third on a single by Canon Humphreys. Hummel would score on a fielder's choice grounder by Mason Andrews to cut the Pack lead to 8-5. With two outs, Oliver would end the game by forcing pinch hitter Wayne Moeck to fly out to center to pick up his second save of the season.
Perry (3-2) picked up the win on the mound for the Pack as he pitched five innings and allowed eight hits and four runs while striking out four and walking three. Oliver would pitch the final two innings and allowed two hits and one run, while walking one and fanning one.
Will Niles (1-3) took the loss to Mines as he pitched 3.1 innings and allowed six hits and six runs while walking two and fanning two.
Bilter, Humphreys, and Tyler Pina each had two hits for Mines in the nightcap.
The teams combined to leave 20 runners on base as the Pack stranded 11 and Mines left nine runners on base. The Orediggers committed the lone error in the game.
GAME ONE
In the opener of Sunday's doubleheader, Mines scored 11 runs in the middle three innings to turn a 1-all tie into a 12-2 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth inning. In the bottom of the sixth, the Pack scored four runs to cut Mines' lead to 12-6.
Borjas paced the Pack offense in Sunday's opener as he was 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI, while Andrews and Stone combined for two hits and three runs.
Mines got the scoring started in the top of the second on a double-play grounder by Moeck off of junior hurler
Luke Ruby (Fort Collins, Colo./Resurrection Christian.
The Pack, though, used a walk and back-to-back singles by Borjas and Stone to tie the game. The latter single was an RBI hit through the right side by Stone.
Mines used five hits and a Pack error to plate three runs and take a 4-1 lead in the game. The scoring started with a solo home run by Pina, and continued with a bunt single by Humphreys and was capped by an RBI double by Moeck.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Pack would score off a double play turned by Mines as fifth-year senior third baseman
Joseph Quintana (Golden, Colo./Erskine) hit a ground ball to shortstop, but on the play, Andrews scored from third base to cut Mines' lead to 4-2. Andrews opened the inning with a double and moved to third when Stone drew a walk to chase Mines starter Grady Booth from the game and brought Seaver Newby out of the Orediggers' bullpen.
Mines pushed its lead to 6-2 in the fifth inning on a ground-rule two-run double by Bilter off of redshirt freshman
Tyler Clementz (Gilbert, Ariz./Basha
The Orediggers put the game out of reach in the top of the sixth inning as they used five hits and a bases-loaded walk to score six runs to take a 12-2 run. The big hits in the inning were a 2-run single by Tyler Hummel and a two-run double by Andrews.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Pack used five hits to score four runs and drop Mines' lead to 12-6. The scoring began with back-to-back solo home runs by Andrews and Borjas, while the third run was scored on a pinch-hit RBI single by King and the fourth run came home on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Williams.
Ruby (1-3) took the loss on the mound as he tossed 3.2 innings and allowed seven hits and four runs (four earned) while walking one and striking out one. The other three Pack pitchers in the game combined to throw 3.1 innings and allowed seven hits and eight runs while walking two and fanning two.
Newby (6-3) picked up the win in relief of Booth as he tossed four innings and allowed six hits and four runs while striking out three and walking none. Booth tossed three innings and allowed four hits and two runs while walking four and striking out one.
Mines' offense was paced by a 3-for-3 effort at the plate by Hummel, while Bilter, Andrews, Moeck, and Jackson Babcock each had two hits in the win.
The Pack left six runners on base and committed two errors, while Mines left five runners on base. In addition, both teams turned a double play in the game.
