ALAMOSA, Colo. – Colorado State University Pueblo split a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference doubleheader here Saturday afternoon against Adams State at the ASU Baseball Field.
Adams State opened Saturday twinbill with an 11-9 win, before the Pack responded with a 10-1 in the nightcap thanks to six strong innings from sophomore starting pitcher
Frank Flores Jr. (Colorado Springs, Colo./Air Academy).
With the split, the ThunderWolves move to 23-22 overall and 15-12 in the RMAC, while ASU snapped a 17-game losing skid in the opener and moves to 11-34 overall and 6-21 in the RMAC. The two teams will conclude the four-game series with a nine-inning game on Sunday, April 26, beginning at noon.
Game One: Adams State 11, CSU Pueblo 9
In Saturday's opener, the Pack built leads to 6-1 and 9-5, but ASU used a six-run sixth inning to rally past the Pack in the first game.
The ThunderWolves struck first in the opening inning as junior first baseman
Jason Arriola (Riverside, Calif./Norco) delivered an RBI single to score junior designated hitter
Jake Hixenbaugh (Atascadero, Calif./Monterey Peninsula) in the top of the first inning. The Pack then added a second run in the second inning on an RBI double by senior centerfielder
Jeremiah Sanchez (Pueblo, Colo./Pueblo West) before erupting for four runs in the fourth. In the fourth, the Pack got a 2-run homer by Arriola and RBI singles by Sanchez and freshman rightfielder
Leonardo Peniche (Arcadia, Calif./Arcadia) to give the Pack a 6-1 lead.
Adams State, though, answered with four runs in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a 3-run homer by Seth Reker and a solo homer by Gunner Martinez to pull within 6-5.
The Pack extended its margin to 8-5 in the top of the fifth on a 2-run double by Arriola and made it 9-5 in the top of the sixth on an RBI groundout by junior catcher
JJ Fontana (Fort Collins, Colo./Poudre).
ASU answered in the bottom of the sixth, stringing together five hits in a six-run inning, capped by Reker's second home run of the game, a 2-run shot, to give the Grizzlies an 11-9 lead.
In the top of the ninth, the Pack put two runners on base thanks to Arriola getting hit by a pitch and junior leftfielder
Cooper Latino (Parker, Colo./Douglas County) walking with two outs. Both runners advanced following a balk by ASU reliever Daniel Hoodak, but Hoodak forced junior third baseman
Jimmy Pelletier (Laval, Quebec/University of San Francisco) to ground out to third to end the game.
The Pack finished with 11 hits in the opener as Arriola was 3-for-4 with a run scored and a career-high 5 RBI, while Sanchez also had three hits in five at-bats and had 2 RBI and a run scored. Fontana and Hixenbaugh each scored two runs, and Fontana had a double.
Senior
Cole Bloomer (Arapahoe, Colo./Lamar CC) took the loss (6-3) in relief as he tossed 0.2 innings and allowed three hits and five runs, while walking one and striking out one. Sophomore
Tyler Clementz (Gilbert, Ariz.) tossed five innings and allowed six hits and five runs, while striking out one and walking two.
ASU also tallied 11 hits in the win as Reker was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and 6 RBI, while Ryan Vandever, Isaiah Pruitt, and Martinez each had two hits.
Connor Kerns (1-0) picked up the win in relief for the Grizzlies as he tossed 2.2 innings and allowed two hits and three runs, while striking out two and walking three. Hoodak earned his second save of the season after retiring Pelletier to end the game.
The Pack committed two errors and left 11 runners on base, while ASU had an error and stranded seven runners on base.
Game Two: CSU Pueblo 10, Adams State 1
The ThunderWolves wasted no time bouncing back in Saturday's nightcap, scoring three runs in the first inning and never looking back in a seven-inning victory to split the doubleheader with the Grizzlies.
In the opening inning, Sanchez opened the scoring by crossing the plate on an RBI double by Clementz. Arriola then followed with another RBI double of his own, and Pelletier plated another run with a double to center to give the Pack an early 3-0 advantage.
The Pack added two more in the second on RBI singles from Sanchez and Clementz, then pushed the lead to 6-1 in the third when junior centerfielder
Logan Kelly (Mission Viejo, Calif./Capistrano Valley Christian) doubled home a run, and Hixenbaugh added an RBI single in the fifth to give the Pack a 7-1 lead. In the sixth, the Pack added three insurance runs on RBI singles by Kelly and sophomore pinch hitter
Gavin Hunt (Castle Pines, Colo./Azusa Pacific) and added the third run on a wild pitch.
On the mound, Flores Jr. was dominant, allowing just one run on three hits over six innings while striking out seven to earn the win and improve to 4-3 on the season. Sophomore
Casey Clair (Council Bluffs, Iowa/Ellsworth CC) tossed a scoreless seventh inning to close it out for the Pack.
Kelly went 2-for-4 with three RBI and a double, while Clementz was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Sanchez added two hits and an RBI, and Hixenbaugh reached base three times and scored a run.
The Pack finished with 11 hits and was walked six times as they left nine runners on base, while ASU had six hits, committed two errors, and left seven runners on base.
ASU got two hits each from Ayden Tauscher and Reker in the nightcap.
Joseph Marek (3-7) took the loss as he tossed two innings and allowed six hits and six runs, while walking three and striking out none.
