COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs baseball team completed the series sweep against New Mexico Highlands with two wins on Sunday afternoon at Mountain Lion Park.

UCCS (18-12, 10-6 RMAC) record their fourth and fifth straight wins as they total 42 runs off 43 hits for the series.

In game one, senior Colin Cicere got the nod to start as he went a full five innings, allowing one run on four hits, and recording five strikeouts for his third win of the season. Joe Slocum came in relief for the Mountain Lions as he only allowed one run on two hits in two innings of work.

UCCS starting shortstop Matt McDermott got it done on the offensive side of the ball for the Mountain Lions as he came up a single shy of the cycle. The junior infielder went 3-for-3 from the nine hole with 2 RBI off a double, triple, and home run.

For the first time in the series, the Cowboys were the first team to strike first as they put one across in the top half of the first inning. New Mexico Highlands then went scoreless for four straight innings as UCCS proceeded to score seven runs.

UCCS catcher Riley Gregory put UCCS on the board with an RBI double in the second, as the Mountain Lions went on to add three runs in the fourth and fifth inning.

Their three run-burst in the fourth all came on two outs with Gregory registering his second RBI of the game with a single to center field that scored John Mallon. Matt Berg came up next to hit an infield single that placed runners on first and third for UCCS. With a decent lead at first base, NMHU threw over to try and pick-off Berg but threw it away which ended up scoring Gregory from third, and advancing Berg to third. An extra base hit machine, McDermott notched his triple to right center field to put their third run of the inning up and give UCCS a 4-1 lead.

In the three-run fifth inning, Jake Anderson smashed a solo shot to left field with one out to get another scoring inning under way for the Mountain Lions. Four-hole hitter Evan Richards followed up the Anderson solo shot with a walk, as Cody Norton came up next to rope a double down the left field line to put two runners into scoring position. A two-RBI single was then sent back up the middle by Mallon to top off the fifth inning and put UCCS up 7-1.

The Cowboys added one more run in the sixth inning, but could not quite close the gap as McDermott added a solo home run of his own to bring the final score to 8-2.

Game two saw all the offensive scoring in the first three innings as the Mountain Lions won at a final score of 9-5.

The Mountain Lions got after the Cowboys early as UCCS jumped out to an early 8-0 lead after a pair of four-run innings to start the game.

In the first inning, Berg and Anderson reached base by a walk and single respectively, as a passed ball advanced them into scoring position at second and third. A Richards walk then setup a great scoring opportunity for Mallon with two outs. Mallon's seven pitch at-bat led to an extra base hit to right center field to clear the bases and give the six-hole hitter a three-RBI double. Starting catcher Ryan Schmidt then lasered a ball to the left center gap to score Mallon and give UCCS the 4-0 advantage.

With UCCS beginning the second inning at the bottom of the lineup, McDermott helped get another multiple run inning going with a leadoff walk to place a runner on first. Matthew Clarke came up next to hit two-hop groundball to shortstop who threw the ball away at first to place McDermott on third, and Clarke on first with no outs in the second inning. A clutch hitter with runners in scoring position, Anderson hit a sent a single up the middle to drive in McDermott and keep two runners on for Richards on-deck. The team leader in home runs then came up to the plate to go opposite field for a three-run home run as Richards now sits at 12 home runs for the season. The three-run shot put the Mountain Lions up 8-0 going into the third inning.

But New Mexico Highlands came out ready to swing the bat as they out-hit UCCS 10-8 in the ball game, and scored five runs in the third inning. The Cowboys' third inning was backed by five hits, four of which were extra base hits (three doubles, one home run), as they got after starting pitcher Daniel Silva.

Silva was able to bounce back after the five-run third inning by only giving up one hit in the fourth and fifth inning, en route to his fifth win of the season. Relievers Dagin Renck and Cam Aufderheide pitched in the sixth and seventh inning respectively, as they allowed one hit to close out the series 9-5.

The Mountain Lions will now hit the road for a four-game series against Adams State University in Alamos, Colo., with game one set for 3 p.m. on Friday, Apr. 5.