ALAMOSA, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs baseball team downed the Adams State University Grizzlies, in a game that saw five lead changes, at a final score of 14-9 to take game one of the series at the ASU Baseball Field.
UCCS (19-12, 11-6 RMAC) scored in seven of the nine innings with starting pitch
Jonathan Cowles going a full seven innings, allowing seven runs on 10 hits to grab the win. Relief pitcher
Dagin Renck threw two innings as he only gave up two hits off four hits.
The Grizzlies (6-24, 3-14 RMAC) out-hit the Mountain Lions 14-13 in the ball game as UCCS recorded eight extra base hits in route to their five-run victory. UCCS'
Matt Berg and
Evan Richards each finished the day batting a perfect 3-for-3 as Richards tallied four RBI with a double and home run.
Junior
Matthew Clarke started the game in the best way offensively with Clarke squaring up a pitch to deep left field for a solo home run, and a quick 1-0 lead. Berg and
Jake Anderson kept the inning going with a walk and single respectively, as Richards hit a deep sacrifice fly to score Berg and tally a second run.
UCCS starting catcher
Michael Bennin came back in the second inning to hit a leadoff solo home run for his second long ball of the season, and a 3-0 UCCS lead.
In the third inning, Adams State would change the tide by taking the lead with a four-run inning. The Grizzlies were silenced with two one-two-three innings to start the game, but ASU came out ready to swing the bats with five hits to take a 4-3 lead in the third.
A quick three-up and three-down inning by both teams in the fourth set-up another scoring inning for the Mountain Lions and Grizzlies. The three-run fifth by UCCS was made on two outs as Berg hit a stand up double to then be driven in by an Anderson single. Four-hole hitter Richards came up next to hit a no doubt two-run home run to right field to lift UCCS to a 6-4 lead.
ASU matched the Mountain Lions' three-runs in the bottom half of the fifth as three consecutive singles led to another Grizzly lead of 7-6.
Down by one run heading into the sixth inning, UCCS would take over the ball game by scoring eight runs in the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth innings combined. The Mountain Lions recorded their eight runs off six hits as they cycled through five Adams State pitchers to take a 14-7 lead.
The Grizzlies made one last push in the bottom of the ninth by putting up two runs before falling to the Mountain Lions 14-9.
UCCS will be back in action tomorrow with a double-header against Adams State, as first pitch is set for 12 p.m.
