COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs baseball team split the first two games of the series against Colorado Christian University. The Mountain Lions would record 11 extra base hits across the two games, despite missing key players with injury.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final Game One: UCCS 10, CCU 3 | Final Game Two: UCCS 7, CCU 10
Records: UCCS (11-17, 3-7 RMAC) | CCU (9-17-1, 6-8 RMAC)
Facility | Location: Mountain Lion Park | Colorado Springs, Colo.
All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions lead the all-time series over the Cougars, 22-4.
HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME ONE
- It was sophomore Cole Philip who drew the start for the first game of Saturday's doubleheader. The Cougars jumped on the first pitch, notching a single to start out the ballgame. Jordan Medina doubled down the left field line to open the scoring, with Major Mayden adding an RBI single, giving CCU an early 2-0 lead.
- The Mountain Lions were quick to respond, seeing back-to-back doubles from Hayden Iverson and Macully Sehr to open the bottom half of the first. Following Sehr's second stolen base of the season, he would come around to score thanks to an RBI groundout from Caleb Stubbings, knotting the game at two runs each.
- A two out walk in the second inning got Ronan Hella on base. Iverson roped his second double in as many innings, giving UCCS a 3-2 lead.
- Following the first inning, Philip was locked in. He would go on to only allow three more hits across the next six innings of action. Philip struck out five in that span, working out of every jam the Cougars presented.
- A CCU pitching change in the bottom of the seventh inning brought in Chaz Graham. The Mountain Lions jumped on Graham, getting three straight hits from the bottom of the order. Iverson rocketed his third double of the day, bringing home two runners. Sehr followed it up with a double of his own to expand the UCCS lead. Tyler Richardson would head to the plate with one gone in the bottom half of the inning. The Mountain Lion catcher roped a single through the right side, capping off a six-run inning to grow the lead to 9-2.
- Jon Sotto entered the game in relief in the top of the eighth inning and had one of his most efficient outings of the year. Sotto surrendered one hit, allowing one run via a sacrifice fly, in two innings of work. Sehr's RBI single in the bottom of the eighth would take us to our final score of 10-2.
GAME STATISTICS | GAME ONE
- UCCS recorded 15 hits, seven of which came from the tandem of Iverson and Sehr. The pair accounted for three RBI a piece with five total runs scored.
- Stubbings and Richardson each added two hits, with three RBI between them both.
- Philip received the win for his stellar performance on the mound, tallying five strikeouts while allowing only two earned runs.
- Sotto worked two innings of relief, surrendering one hit and one run, while striking out two CCU batters.
HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME TWO
- The Cougars once again got the scoring going early, scoring a run thanks to a double from Gabe Ramos. UCCS responded in the bottom of the first with Evan Steinberger singling into left center gap that brought home two Mountain Lions.
- The third inning saw plenty of action. Hunter Owens replaced starting pitcher Ryder Mancuso and immediately ran into trouble as CCU hit a two RBI single, extending their lead to 5-3. In the bottom half of the third, UCCS got two runs back, courtesy of a throwing error and Vander Hodges first triple of the season.
- Inconsistent pitching was ultimately the downfall of the Mountain Lions, as they issued four walks and allowed two more runners to score via passed balls and errors. The Cougars put up four more runs in the fourth, expanding their lead to 9-5.
- With the score now sitting at 10-5 in the bottom of the sixth, UCCS found the spark they needed. Iverson continued his hot streak at the plate, blasting a two-run homerun to left center field, cutting the lead to just three.
- Keegan Sueltz sent a double into center field in the bottom of seventh inning, but the Mountain Lions could not rally behind him, dropping the second game of the doubleheader, 10-7.
GAME STATISTICS | GAME TWO
- It was Caleb Stubbings who led the offensive attack in Game 2, leading the team with three hits.
- Iverson's sixth inning homerun was his third of the season.
- Steinberger chipped in with two RBI of his own, recording four putouts and two assists behind the plate.
- CCU's Jake Gimbel was credited with the win, going six innings, allowing ten hits and five earned runs.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Iverson recorded one of his best hitting days in a Mountain Lion uniform, tallying five hits (four extra-base hits) and scoring five runs in the two games Saturday afternoon.
- Iverson's homerun was his third of the season, tied for second most on the team.
- CCU's offensive attack was led by Boedy Flores, who drove in five runs across both games.
- The Mountain Lion's loss snapped a 17-game winning streak against CCU, dating back to March 8th, 2019.
UP NEXT
- UCCS will take on Colorado Christian in the series finale on Sunday, with the doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m.
