COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs baseball team shakes up the RMAC Tournament with the 4-1 upset over No. 1 nationally ranked Colorado Mesa University on Friday. Redshirt junior
Jonathan Cowles throws the complete game to send the Mountain Lions to their first ever RMAC Tournament Championship game appearance.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: UCCS 10, #1 CMU 8
Records: UCCS (29-10, 22-10 RMAC), Colorado Mesa (39-4, 34-2 RMAC)
Location: Suplizio Field | Grand Junction, Colo.
All-Time Series: UCCS trails the all-time series 6-13 against CMU.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• It was a pitching duel from the beginning with UCCS'
Jonathan Cowles and CMU's Kannon Handy trading scoreless innings back and forth.
• Through the first five innings of play, UCCS and CMU combined for five hits as Cowles held the Mavericks to three hits in that span as the Mountain Lions' infield turned two double plays to stop CMU's momentum. In the bottom of the fifth, CMU threatened to score with a runner on third and two outs but Cowles forced a flyout to left field to come away with no damage done as the Mountain Lions entered the top of the sixth where the offense came alive.
• With the middle part of the lineup do up,
Evan Richards started the sixth off with a leadoff single to place the go-ahead runner on first base as
Jake Anderson laced a single of his own to make it runners on first and second with no outs. Five-hole hitter
Aaron Faragallah stepped into the box next where a perfectly executed bunt between the pitcher's mound and first base advanced everyone safely and gave UCCS bases loaded with no outs. A scoring opportunity was presented to
Matt Berg who took full advantage with a big time two-RBI single to right center. With runners on first and third, the Mountain Lions capitalized off a CMU dropped fly ball at second base to score Faragallah and extend their lead to 3-0. A bizarre play at the plate would end the inning for the Mountain Lions as Berg failed to slide at home, causing the double play and capping off a three-run inning for UCCS.
• In the home half of the sixth, the Mavericks got one back as the RMAC Player of the Year Hadyn McGeary doubled to right center to cut into the UCCS lead 3-1 through six innings.
• The one-run sixth was all the Mavericks could gather as Cowles continued to keep the CMU hitters out of sync by throwing a scoreless seventh and eighth inning.
• Up against theNo. 1 team in the nation with a two-run lead, the Mountain Lions were able to plate a crucial insurance run in the top of the ninth. After making a ridiculous back hand web gem play in the bottom of the sixth, shortstop
Matt McDermott came up huge on the offensive side of the ball by driving a double down the left field line for an RBI double to extend UCCS' lead 4-1.
• Holding on to the three-run lead, Cowles came out to finish what he had started in the bottom of the ninth as the redshirt junior retired the Mavericks in order to claim the win and advance UCCS to the RMAC Tournament Championship game.
STATS FROM THE GAME
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Jonathan Cowles registers the nine-inning complete game by shutting down the Mavericks to a season low five hits and one run as he punched out five to improve to 2-1 on the year.
•
Matt Berg comes away with the game-winning two-RBI single in the sixth as he finishes the day 1-for-3 at the plate.
• Six different Mountain Lions tally a hit in the game with starting right fielder
Evan Richards with the only multi-hit game as he finished 2-for-4 with a run scored.
• UCCS is now responsible for two of CMU's four losses on the season.
UP NEXT:
The Mountain Lions will make the program's first ever RMAC Tournament Championship appearance on Saturday, May 22 at 2 p.m. UCCS will face the winner of tonight's game nine matchup between No. 1 CMU and either Colorado State University Pueblo or Metropolitan State University of Denver. First pitch for tonight's game nine matchup is slated for 8 p.m. UCCS will enter Saturday as the only undefeated team (3-0) in the double-elimination tournament.
SOCIAL:
Twitter - @GoMountainLions
Instagram - @gomountainlions
Facebook – Go Mountain Lions
As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs competes in 16 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.
