COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs baseball team completes their first series sweep of the season as the Mountain Lion produced an offensive onslaught to claim two wins against Northwest Missouri State University at Mountain Lion Park on Saturday.

UCCS (5-6) combined for a total of 31 runs scored off 40 hits in Saturday's double-header to route NWMSU (5-9) 18-6 in game one and 13-3 in game two. UCCS knocked the ball around the yard from the top of the lineup to the bottom of the lineup as 13 different Mountain Lions recorded a hit with nine different players tallying an RBI. The offensive outburst did not stop there as 17 of UCCS' 40 hits were extra base hits, including seven Mountain Lion home runs were hit with Michael Bennin hitting two in game one and Matt Berg hitting two home runs in game two.  

Game one saw four innings of UCCS scoring as they scored three or more runs in each of the four innings to secure the 18-6 win. Senior Matt McDermott led the team in RBI as he notched five off three hits including a home run and a double. Redshirt junior Evan Richards stepped up to have an impressive day at the plate as he finished with a team high four hits with a home run and double to produce three RBI.

UCCS had Brian Marquez start on the bump as the Bearcats got the bats going early to jump out to a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning. The NWMSU lead was short lived after the Mountain Lions retaliated with a three-run first inning, thanks to a Berg solo home run and a Bennin two-run home run to give UCCS the 3-2 lead.

It was then all UCCS as the Mountain Lions produced a six-run third inning that was initiated by Bennin's second home run to lead off the inning. After Henry Ryan was hit by a pitch, John Mallon and Richards hit back-to-back singles to load the bases for Luis Samorano who drove a ball to the left center gap for his second double of the game that brought in two RBI. To top off the inning, McDermott and Berg then followed up Samorano's double with doubles of their own as they each found the gaps in left field to make it three consecutive doubles, resulting in three more RBI to extend the UCCS lead to 9-2.

The Mountain Lion offense continued into the fourth and fifth innings as UCCS put up five and four runs respectively. In the fourth, Ryan reached on a walk as Mallon then singled through the left side to set up runners on first and second with no outs for Richards who delivered a deep three-run homer. Jake Anderson also joined in on the action to deliver an RBI double as Samorano scored on a passed ball to wrap up the fourth inning and create a 14-2 lead. An inning later, a Mallon single and Richards double set-up McDermott who hit an absolute moonshot over the center field batter's eye for a three-run homer. Junior Jaeden Hegmann came in to pinch hit during the fifth inning as Hegmann delivered an RBI single up the middle to tally the Mountain Lions' 18^th run.

Northwest Missouri State was able to garner four runs, two in the fifth and two and the seventh, off Christian Manmano who came in to relieve Marquez in the fifth inning, but the Bearcats were not able to develop a big enough comeback. Marquez came away with his second win of the season after going four full innings and allowing two runs of four hits.

In game two, the UCCS bats stayed awake as the Mountain Lions earned the double-digit win of 13-3 by registering 19 hits in the ballgame. Berg notched seven RBI as the junior hit two home runs, including a grand slam. McDermott finished a perfect 5-for-5 in game two as he added 4 runs scored and three RBI from the lead off spot as Anderson held his own by going 4-for-6.

Junior Jonathan Cowles got the start for UCCS as he went a full five innings and gave up two runs off seven hits while recording six strikeouts to claim his second win of the season.

Similar to game one, Northwest Missouri State claimed the first lead of the ballgame by adding one run in the top of the second and top of the third inning. UCCS answered in the home half of the third inning as McDermott jump started the inning with a leadoff double to then be driven in by Berg with a single in the very next at-bat to cut into the Bearcats' lead 1-2.

For three consecutive innings the Mountain Lions quieted NWMSU as UCCS added five runs in the bottom of the fourth to take their first lead of the game. Senior Tyler Matheny started the inning with a walk as Alex Bates got in with an infield single to put two runners on with one out. Walker Rumsey followed suit with Matheny by drawing a walk of his own which then loaded the bases for a McDermott RBI single that still kept the bases loaded. With one swing of the bat, Berg tallied four RBI by sending a deep flyball to left center field that hit the top of the fence and bounced over for the grand slam.

After the Mountain Lions offense drove in one run in the bottom of the sixth off a Matt Clarke RBI single, UCCS kept their foot on the gas as they posted six runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. In his first plate appearance of the season, Zac Dammel hit a tailing line drive towards the left field line that landed fair for a stand-up double to start the inning. The Mountain Lion base runners kept coming as Rumsey and McDermott each provided two-RBI singles as Berg went big fly for this third home run of the day to bring the final two runs across and cement the 13-3 win.

With the Mountain Lions' first home series win in the books, UCCS now turns to next weekend as they host New Mexico Highlands University for a double-header at 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Sunday, Mar. 1 in Mountain Lion Park.