PUEBLO, Colo. – In game one of a Steel and Silver showdown, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs baseball team falls to Colorado State University-Pueblo at a final score of 6-16 at Rawlings Field.
The Mountain Lions (27-20, 19-14 RMAC) were out-hit by the ThunderWolves (24-22, 19-14 RMAC) 11-15, as UCCS had a hard time taking care of the ball by committing four errors in the ball game. The top of the Mountain Lion lineup provided a bulk of the offense as
Matthew Clarke,
Evan Richards, and
Jake Anderson combined for six of the team's 11 hits, and four of the six RBI. Anderson was the offensive team leader as he finished 3-for-5 with a double and three RBI.
The ThunderWolves plated the first runs of the game to take an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, as they strung together two singles and a triple to score one run. UCCS had an opportunity to escape the inning down 1-0, but the game's first error kept the inning alive as an unearned run scored off the error to bring the score to 2-0.
In the second, third, and fourth inning, it was all UCCS as they put up four runs and shutout the ThunderWolves to record their first and only lead of the game, 4-2. The second inning saw one run as
Walker Rumsey and
Matt McDermott found their way onto the base paths with infield singles, setting up Clarke who knocked in Rumsey with a single to right field. Rumsey then came back in the third inning with bases loaded to drive in two runs with a line drive single to right field. In the fourth, Richards led the inning off with an infield single and made his into scoring position off CSU-Pueblo errors to be brought in by an Anderson single through the left side.
CSU-Pueblo scored in three of the nine innings to account for their 16 runs, with a 10-run fifth inning being the difference maker in the ball game. UCCS gave the ThunderWolves four free passes in the inning with one walk, two hit by pitch, and an error as CSU-Pueblo tacked on seven hits in the process to take a 12-4 lead.
Both teams made another scoring appearance in the eighth inning with the Mountain Lions trying make their way back with two runs, but the ThunderWolves doubled that in the bottom half of the inning to bring the final score to 16-6.
UCCS and CSU-Pueblo now have the same conference record at 19-14, with the Mountain Lions remaining at the number five spot in the standings. UCCS will be back in action tomorrow night with a 7:05 p.m. game time at Runyon Sports Complex, in a game two matchup against the ThunderWolves.
