GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – University of Colorado Colorado Springs baseball hands No. 6 Colorado Mesa University their largest loss of the season as the Mountain Lions mount a 14-6 win over the Mavericks in game four on Sunday.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: UCCS 14, #6 CMU 6
Records: UCCS (8-14, 4-4 RMAC), CMU (18-6, 9-3 RMAC)
Location: Bergman Field | Grand Junction, Colo.
Series: UCCS trails 8-18 in the all-time series against Colorado Mesa.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
• The Mountain Lions wasted no time jumping out ahead of the Mavericks on Sunday as UCCS started off by working the count on CMU's Joey Mazetti with
Jaeden Hegmann and
Henry Ryan turning a pair of 3-2 counts into walks for runners on first and second with one out. After getting put down in a 1-2 count, redshirt freshman
Caleb Stubbings found a pitch to drive by splitting the left center gap with a two RBI double to swing an early 2-0 advantage in UCCS' favor.
• Despite not giving up a hit in the home half of the first, the Mavericks turned a UCCS dropped flyball into a run as Caleb Farmer reached via a base on balls and turned around to score on the Mountain Lion error to cut the deficit in half, 2-1.
• Both Mazetti and
Jon Sotto escaped scoring opportunities from the opposing offenses in the second inning to have the Mountain Lions come back in the top of third to ensue more damage to the Mavericks' pitching staff. Starting shortstop Hegmann led off the third with a single to center as Ryan drew his second straight 3-2 walk to give Stubbings runners on first and second with no outs. For the second consecutive time in the game, Stubbings delivered an RBI hit as a single found open grass in right field to score Hegmann and put Ryan on third base. Redshirt freshman
Kasey Campbell stepped to the plate to tack on one more run for the inning as he provided a situational sacrifice fly to plate a 4-1 lead.
• The Mountain Lion offense continued to chip away in the fourth and fifth innings as
Luis Samorano went yard in the top of the fourth and
Mason Pastorello driving an RBI single to center field in the fifth. As Sotto and the UCCS defense kept CMU in check through three scoreless innings, the Mavericks found an opening in the bottom of the fifth with Haydyn McGeary and Conrad Villafuerte plating a run for a 6-3 ballgame.
• In the top of the sixth, the Mountain Lions provided some fire works to establish an eight-run lead with a five-run inning powered by seven hits. As the Mountain Lions produced bases loaded, it was the red-hot Stubbings who sent a missile of a double to the left field gap for a bases clearing double to claim three RBI. UCCS wasn't done there as Campbell laced a double to the left center gap for his second RBI of the day as Pastorello flared a single to center for the fifth run of the inning to make it 11-3.
• A Harrison Rodgers solo shot in the bottom of the sixth put a small dent into the Mountain Lions' lead heading into the seventh, but UCCS buried the seven-run lead by claiming their largest lead of the game as no one other than Stubbings got the scoring started. Stubbings registered his third double of the game for what was his seventh RBI of the game as Campbell and Pastorello teamed up for another pair of RBI by way of sacrifice flies to take on a 10-run lead, 14-4.
• Just a half-inning later, CMU cut into the double-digit Mountain Lion lead with Spencer Bramwell sending a two-run shot over the wall for an adjusted 14-6 ballgame.
• From there, the ball switched hands to UCCS reliever
Brock Weiss who silenced the Mavericks lineup through 2.2 innings of work to solidify the 14-6 Mountain Lion win.
STATS FROM THE DAY:
• The Mountain Lions post four extra base hits as they come to out hit No. 6 CMU 17-13.
• Jon Sotto's first win of the season comes through in a big way as the junior threw five complete innings allowing three runs, two earned, and nine hits with three strikeouts.
• Brock Weiss did not give up a single hit in 2.2 innings of work as the freshman added two strikeouts to his effective and efficient outing.
• Eight Mountain Lions recorded a hit on Sunday with
Caleb Stubbings having a monster day at the plate by going 4-for-6 with three doubles, seven RBI, and two runs scored.
Jaeden Hegmann also had himself a four-hit day by going 4-for-5 as both he and
Henry Ryan scored a game high four times in the game.
• Redshirt freshmen
Kasey Campbell and
Mason Pastorello each registered three RBI on 2-for-6 and 2-for-4 days, respectively.
• The Mountain Lions (11) and Mavericks (12) left a combined 23 runners on base as the Mountain Lions drew a game high nine walks.
BEYOND THE BOX:
• UCCS hands CMU their largest loss of the season (eight runs) as the Mavericks also gave the most hits in a single game this season (17).
• Caleb Stubbings becomes just the third Mountain Lion in program history to tally a program record seven RBI (
Jake Anderson,
Matt Berg) and the fourth Mountain Lion to record three doubles in a single game (
Evan Richards,
Matt McDermott, Efrain Medina).
• Jaeden Hegmann's four-hit day marks the second time in his career that he has reached that feat, with Mar. 24 of 2018 being the last time the Colorado Springs native has notched four hits in a single game.
• Luis Samorano delivered just his second career home run as a Mountain Lion on Sunday.
• Sunday marks the fifth time this season that the Mountain Lions have recorded 15 or more hits.
• The Mountain Lions registered more hits in game four (17) than the first three games of the series combined (14).
UP NEXT:
• UCCS Baseball returns inside Mountain Lion Park next week as the Mountain Lions play host to Metropolitan State University of Denver beginning Friday, Mar. 25 at 3 p.m.
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.
