COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs baseball team bounce back on offense in game two to capture a win after dropping the first game of a doubleheader with the New Mexico Highlands University Cowboys.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Game 1: UCCS 3, NMHU 5 | Game 2: UCCS 15, NMHU 9
Records: UCCS (6-11, 2-1 RMAC), NMHU (4-15, 2-5 RMAC)
Facility: Mountain Lion Park | Colorado Springs, Colo.
All-Time Series: UCCS moves to 20-5 all time against the Cowboys as they pick up both a win and a loss.
HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME ONE
- To open the doubleheader on a sunny Sunday afternoon, John Hoffman took the hill for the Mountain Lions and retired the side in order in the first inning. He struck out the first two batters he faced and got the NMHU first baseman to pop up to the catcher for a scoreless first half in the opening frame.
- Kiichi Sato stepped into the box to lead things off for UCCS and wasted no time getting the offense going as he roped with first pitch he saw down the right field line for a triple. He then made his way home two batters later on a wild pitch to give the Mountain Lions the early 1-0 lead.
- With one out in the bottom of the third inning, Jaeden Hegmann smacked a line drive homerun down the left field line that just got over the wall to extend the lead to 2-0.
- John Hoffman continued his dominance through the fourth inning and did not allow any runs on only two hits through the first four frames. He was relieved in the top of the fifth due to a high pitch count.
- With two runners on and two gone in the inning, the NMHU second baseman launched a ball over the left field wall to get the Cowboys on the board while also giving them the 3-2 lead.
- Down one run going into the bottom half of the fifth, Jaeden Hegmann found his way on via an error by the NMHU shortstop. With two outs in the inning, Brad Madison drove one to left that rolled past the left fielder and allowed Hegmann to score from first to tie the game at three apiece.
- The Cowboys would break the tie no more than an inning later when a two-run blast with two outs in the inning put NMHU up 5-3.
- After the Mountain Lions got runners on base to start the bottom of the sixth, the Cowboys executed their bunt defense to perfection to get the first out of the inning and keep a runner off third. The Mountain Lions couldn't get anything else going and came out of the inning with no runs.
- In their last turn at bat, the Mountain Lions got good contact on the pitches they saw, but could not find the gaps to start a seventh inning rally and fell to the Cowboys in game one by a score of 5-3.
STATS FROM THE GAME | GAME ONE
- John Hoffman had a good outing through 4.1 innings this afternoon as he allowed only two runs on two hits and punched out six batters.
- Tyler Richardson went a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate as he was the only Mountain Lion to record more than one hit in the game.
HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME TWO
- Kiichi Sato started off the second game of the doubleheader the exact same way he started the first with a triple down the right field line on the first pitch from the NMHU starter. He trotted home shortly after when Jaeden Hegmann drove one deep enough to center field to score Sato on a sacrifice fly for the first run of the game.
- As Cole Philip continued to keep the NMHU offense at bay, the Mountain Lions tallied three consecutive doubles off the bats of Kasey Campbell, Matt Johnson, and Walker Rumsey to add three more runs in the bottom of the second inning giving them a 4-0 lead.
- The Cowboys would find their way on base in the third inning with a couple of doubles of their own. In addition to plating their first run of the game, back-to-back homeruns would tie the game at four.
- Both starting pitchers remained in the game and would limit production through their next two innings of work. That was until Henry Ryan connected on a 3-1 pitch that found its way over the wall in right center for a two out two-run homerun to give the Mountain Lions a 6-4 advantage.
- The lead would not be held for long however, as the Cowboys scored four runs in the top of the sixth with a solo shot to open the frame followed by a pair of singles that brought across the other three runs in the inning.
- Despite the late deficit, the Mountain Lions got right back on track with an offensive explosion that saw UCCS bring across nine runs in the bottom of the sixth. A bases loaded single by Jaeden Hegmann scored two runs to tie the game at eight. After loading the bases for the second time in the inning, Aaron Faragallah stepped up to the plate and drove in the go ahead run with a two-run single.
- The Mountain Lions continued to put more traffic on the bases as they loaded the sacks for the third time in the inning. After the Cowboys walked in a run, Matt Johnson got ahold of a pitch that he took the opposite way for a grand slam to put UCCS up 15-8 going into the final inning of play.
- Dylan Grierson was summoned from the bullpen to close out the game and was able to catch the NMHU third baseman looking at strike three for the final out of the game giving the Mountain Lions the 15-9 win.
STATS FROM THE GAME | GAME TWO
- Matt Johnson drove in the most runs in game two as he had five RBI, thanks in large part to his sixth inning grand slam. The Mountain Lion catcher tallied two hits in four at bats and scored three times in the game. Jaeden Hegmann had the second most RBI with three runs driven in.
- Kasey Campbell and Walker Rumsey sprayed the gaps well in this one as they both collected two doubles.
- Every Mountain Lion starter in game two crossed home plate at least once. Johnson and Henry Ryan tied for the team lead with three runs scored.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Matt Johnson's sixth inning blast in game two was his first homerun of his Mountain Lion career.
- Henry Ryan has now homered in back-to-back appearances.
- Kiichi Sato's only two triples of the season came in the games played today as he hit himself to third base once in each game of the doubleheader.
- As a team, the Mountain Lions have tied for the second most runs they have scored in a game this season with 15 in game two.
UP NEXT
- The Mountain Lions conclude the weekend series with NMHU tomorrow, March 14th, with a 12:00 p.m. start time.
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.
