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UCCS Athletics

Mar 24, 2019; Colorado Springs, CO, USA; A general view of Mountain Lion Park during the game between the UCCS Mountain Lions and the Colorado Mesa University Mavericks. Credit: Isaiah J. Downing

PREVIEW | Baseball to Host NMHU for a Pair of Non-Conference Games

2/26/2020 10:00:00 AM

By: Jake Wise - Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant
This Week's Matchup
  • The University of Colorado Colorado Springs baseball team will be back at Mountain Lion Park this weekend for a pair of games against New Mexico Highlands University. There will only be two games in this series as opposed to the usual four.
  • Both games are schedule for Sunday, March 1 and will start at 12 p.m. and 3 p.m., respectively.
Game Coverage Last Time Out
  • The Mountain Lions found their offense last weekend as they swept Northwest Missouri State University (NMSU) in their three-game series. After scoring only 23 total runs prior to this series, UCCS exploded for 42 runs scored on 55 hits including 14 doubles, two triples and 10 home runs. The Mountain Lions finished the series batting .462 as a team, while holding NMSU to a .283 combined batting average.
  • Matt McDermott led all players going 10-for-14 in the three games, earning him an astronomical .714 batting average for the weekend. McDermott tallied three doubles, two home runs and 10 RBI. Matt Berg had the weekend of a lifetime as he recorded eight hits in 15 at-bats, however four of his eight hits were home runs including a grand slam on Saturday. He also tallied three doubles and finished the weekend batting .533 while driving in a team high 12 RBI.
  • On the mound, the UCCS pitching staff had another solid series as they finished with a combined ERA of 5.40 and allowed 17 runs on 28 hits with 26 total strikeouts.
  • On Friday, UCCS got going right away as Berg and Matt Clarke hit back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the first to take an early lead. Ryan Schmidt added an RBI single to give UCCS a 3-0 lead early on. The Mountain Lions added one in the third and two in the fourth to take a 6-1 lead. NMSU bounced back in the sixth with six runs to take a -7-6 lead, but UCCS answered with two in the seventh and three in the eighth to take home the win.
  • Saturday featured a double-header and the first game was all UCCS. After NMSU scored two in the top of the first, UCCS answered as Berg hit his second consecutive first inning home run, followed by a two-run blast from Michael Bennin to give UCCS a 3-2 lead. UCCS added six more in the third off another Bennin home run, a pair of 2 RBI doubles from Luis Samorano and McDermott and an RBI double from Berg. Five more runs were added in the fourth which included a three-run bomb from Evan Richards, followed by a four-run fifth that included another three-run home run, this time from McDermott. UCCS went on to take the win 18-6.
  • The second game on Saturday was another route from UCCS as it ended in a final score of 13-3. NMSU was up 2-1 after three innings and that would be the last lead they saw. In the fourth, Berg blasted a grand slam to left center and UCCS never looked back. They added one in the sixth and six in the eighth off two doubles and Berg's second home run of the game.
  • The Mountain Lions really found their bats in this series and will look to stay hot.
RMAC Standings
  • Three weeks into the 2020 season, UCCS has a 5-6 overall record. That places them in the sixth spot in the RMAC, one game behind Colorado School of Mines.
  • The five teams ahead of UCCS are: Colorado Mesa University (8-2), Dixie State University (11-3), Colorado State University – Pueblo (6-4), Colorado Christian University (4-4) and Colorado School of Mines (6-6).
The Series
  • UCCS has an 11-3 record against NMHU in their brief history, which includes a current six-game winning streak, a four-game home win streak and an 8-0 home record. The Mountain Lions average over eight runs per game (8.21) historically against the Cowboys.
Scouting Report
  • NMHU has started the 2020 season 0-4 as they were swept by Fort Hays State University in their only series this year. The Cowboys have scored 18 runs on 32 hits which includes three doubles and five home runs. NMHU has a team batting average of .271, while their opponents are batting .331.
  • Estevan De La O leads the team in batting average and hits at .400 and six, respectively. Clayton Hale ranks second on the team in those categories with a .357 batting average and five hits, however, he leads the team in home runs (three), RBI (seven) and slugging percentage (1.071).
  • Defensively, the Cowboys have a combined ERA of 9.00 while allowed 34 runs on 39 hits in their four games this year. Kalen Hammer has the best ERA among the starting pitchers at 3.60 as he has allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits with a team high seven strikeouts through five innings of action this season. Mason Myhre is the next best starting pitcher in terms of ERA with a 6.00 in six innings of action. Myhre has allowed four runs (all earned) on three hits and also has seven strikeouts.
Hot Takes
  • UCCS finally had their bats come alive last weekend with 55 total hits and a team batting average of .462. The 10 home runs recorded by the Mountain Lions are the second most for any series in the team's history, and this was only three games.
  • Matt McDermott and Matt Berg were the two top batters for UCCS as they combined for 18 hits, 22 RBI and six home runs.
  • Jake Anderson and John Mallon were next in the hit parade, going 7-for-14 and 6-for-12, respectively, to bat .500 for weekend. Anderson added two doubles and two RBI to the team total while Mallon notched a double as well and leads the team in doubles with four. He also ranks third on the team in batting average at .359.
  • Rounding out the top hitting performances were Evan Richards and Walker Rumsey, who both went 5-for-8 to bat .625 in the series. Richards added one double, one home run and three RBI and Rumsey notched the team's two triples and four RBI.
  • Berg continues to lead the team in batting average as he is now hitting .432 this season with a team high 19 hits, four home runs, and 14 RBI. McDermott ranks second on the team in batting average (.409), hits (18) and home runs (three) but is tied for the team lead in RBI with Berg at 14.
  • Berg, Matt Clarke, Richards, and Michael Bennin all tallied their first home runs of the year over the weekend, with Berg and Bennin hitting multiple. Berg also notched his second career grand slam, the first of which also came in the home opening series last season.
  • Defensively, Jonathan Cowles (2-0, 1.50 ERA) continued his hot start to the season as he went five full innings and allowed two runs (both earned) off seven hits with six strikeouts to earn his second win of the year. Brian Marquez (2-0, 2.40 ERA) also notched his second win of the season after allowing two runs (both earned) off four hits in his four innings on Saturday.
  • Jon Sotto (1-2, 6.75 ERA) earned the third win for UCCS in Friday's game in relief effort of Daniel Silva. Sotto allowed on unearned run and struck out two in his inning of relief. Silva (0-0, 3.18 ERA) pitched well in his start, going five full innings and allowing one run (earned) on three hits with a team high seven strikeouts to finish his start with a 1.80 ERA. Silva leads the team in strikeouts with 21.
  • Joseph Harris earned his first career save on Friday as he threw a shutout ninth inning to seal the game.
Weather
  • The forecast for this Sunday, March 1, shows partly cloudy skies and a high of 52 degrees. Winds are expected to gust up to 10 miles per hour.
UCCS Under Coach Dave Hajek
  • The Mountain Lions are now 83-80 under coach Hajek and improve their home opener series record to 10-5. UCCS and coach Hajek face an opponent this weekend whom they have dominated in recent matchups. Having found their collective 'swing', coach Hajek will look to collect two more wins this weekend before heading into RMAC play.
Upcoming Matchup
  • Next weekend will be the beginning of conference play for UCCS as they get set to host Colorado Christian University in a four-game series at Mountain Lion Park.
  • Friday, March 6 will feature the first game of the series. First pitch will be at 2 p.m.
  • Saturday, March 7 features the series double-header, with first pitch for each game scheduled for 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., respectively.
  • Sunday, March 8 will be the series finale. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m.
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