COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs baseball squad claimed the series win over New Mexico Highlands University Sunday afternoon taking both games from the Cowboys.  The Mountain Lions run-ruled NMHU in eight innings in the opening game, 18-6, before winning the series finale, 12-2.  UCCS scored 30 runs today on 32 hits, five of which were extra base hits, while holding NMHU to eight runs on 14 hits.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final Score Game One: UCCS 18, NMHU 6 (eight innings) | Final Score Game Two: UCCS 12, NMHU 2
Records: UCCS (16-22, 8-12 RMAC) | NMHU (3-35, 2-18 RMAC)
Facility | Location: Mountain Lion Park| Colorado Springs, Colo.
All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions hold a 25-7 all-time lead over NMHU. 


HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME ONE

• Starting on the mound in game one for the Mountain Lions was John Hoffman who made his stamp early in the opening frame holding the Cowboys to one hit before retiring the side that featured two strikeouts in the top of the second inning.  After a scoreless first inning, the Mountain Lions' bats came alive in the bottom half of the second inning.  Brad Madison led off the inning with a single down the left field line and then stole his third base of the season.  A walk by Kasey Campbell was proceeded by an RBI single by Tyler Richardson to plate Madison for the first run of the day.  Keegan Sueltz mirrored Richardson's at-bat with an RBI single to centerfield.  Ronan Hella laid down a perfectly executed bunt to load the bases.  With two outs on the scoreboard, Richardson scored on a wild pitch for the Mountain Lions third run of the inning.  Kit Wigington tacked on two more runs with a two-run RBI to cap a five-run second-inning performance.
• NMHU was able to get one run a on the scoreboard in the top half of the third frame to cut into the home team's lead, 5-1.  In the bottom half of the inning, Campbell laced a double to left field and eventually scored on a fielding error by NMHU's shortstop.  Hella tallied his second RBI of the game to bring home Richardson and boost UCCS' lead to six runs (7-1), after three complete innings.
• UCCS continued their hot bats in the fourth and fifth innings, adding seven more runs on seven hits.  Flirting with a 12-run lead entering the sixth inning, 14-2, New Mexico Highlands battled back with a bases-clearing double from RJ Abernathy as the Mountain Lions lead shrunk to nine runs, 14-5.  Brady Lachemann, who entered the game in the sixth inning at second base, connected for a single to left field but was held up as UCCS was unable to bring him home.  The Cowboys continued to chip away at the Mountain Lions lead with a seventh inning leadoff run from Cobe Lehman.
• Heading into the bottom of the eighth inning with a 15-6 lead, Hella lined a single to the left side to lead off the inning.  He took advantage of a wild pitch to move to second base and quickly scored on Lachemann's single up the middle.  Leftfielder Dylan Morace added a single RBI when he strung the ball through the left side to score Lachemann and take UCCS' lead to 11 runs, 17-6.  With no outs and runners on first and second base, Caleb Stubbings stepped to the plate and drilled a ground rule double to the left center field fence, sealing the win as UCCS earned a 12-run, eight-inning win in game three of the series over New Mexico Highlands.

 
GAME STATISTICS | GAME ONE

• Six Mountain Lions registered multiple hits against the Cowboys.  Campbell posted a line of four hits on four at-bats with three RBI, three runs scored, two doubles and a walk.
• Wigington drove in three runs and scored twice behind three hits and a walk.  Stubbings, who hit the game-winning double, finished the game going 3-for-6 with three RBI and two runs.
• Hoffman pitched the first five innings to earn his third win of the season.  He fanned six batters and allowed just one earned run.  Marko Sipila continued the hot pitching for the home team, striking out six batters and holding NMHU to four hits in the final three innings.
• Chase Stewart paced the Cowboys with two hits, two walks and two runs scored while stealing three bases. Christian Hernandez took the loss on the mound, allowing seven earned runs on seven hits in three innings of work.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME TWO

• The Cowboys put the first run on the scoreboard in the series finale after capitalizing on a throwing error by the Mountain Lions catcher while the first three batters went down in order in the opening frame for UCCS.  The Mountain Lions matched the Cowboys score when Stubbings brought in Campbell on a hard hit double in the home half of the second frame.  Two outs and two batters later, Keegan Sueltz singled up the middle to bring in Stubbings before Sueltz gave UCCS a 3-1 cushion when he scored from second base on a throwing error.
• The Mountain Lions opened up the gates in the third inning, notching six runs on five hits.  The first two batters for the Mountain Lions struck out and flied out to start the inning, but the tides turned when Madison and Campbell reached base safely on singles.  Stubbings added an RBI with a double down the left field line to score Madison.  Catcher Evan Steinberger drew a walk followed by a bases clearing double from Sueltz to left center.  Hella nearly mirrored Sueltz' ball placement on the next at-bat to the outfield, but Hella put it over the fence for his third home run of the season, sailing the Mountain Lions lead to 9-1 after three innings.
• The Cowboys registered their second and final run of the game on an RBI double in the fifth, but Lachemann answered in the bottom half of the inning with a single RBI to center field that scored Sueltz for a 10-2 home team lead.
• In the bottom of the sixth inning and an eight-run lead, Stubbings reached base on a single to left field and moved to second on a throwing error that also put Steinberger on base.  Both runners moved up a base on a passed ball before plating two more runs.  Sueltz grounded out to short stop but not before Stubbings scored while Hella's hard hit single to right center scored the final run of the game.

 
GAME STATISTICS | GAME TWO

• The Mountain Lions accounted for 12 runs on 12 hits and 11 RBI and drew six walks.
• Sueltz batted 3-for-4 at the plate with five RBI, three runs and a double.
• Stubbings finished the game with three hits, three runs and two RBI.  Two of his three hits were extra-base hits as UCCS racked a total of four extra base hits.
• Hella's home run accounted for one of his two hits today to go with a walk, three RBI and one run scored.
• Jon Sotto was dealing on the mound, holding the Cowboys to just one hit and an unearned run with four strikeouts in four innings of action.
• Will Gabriel entered the game in relief in the fifth inning and worked two innings as the Cowboys were able to only score one run on him in three hits.  Vander Hodges closed the game on the mound, throwing one complete inning and holding NMHU without a hit or run.

 
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• The Mountain Lions' 18 runs in game one today are tied for the 10^th most runs scored in a game while the 20 hits are the sixth most ever in a game.
• Brad Madison closed the series with New Mexico Highlands with three doubles and takes over the program lead for most doubles in a season (21), besting Matt Clarke's 2019 mark of 20.
• In the series win, the Mountain Lions out-scored NMHU, 52-21, and out-hit the Cowboys, 57-39.  UCCS tallied 19 extra base hits with 16 of them coming in the form of doubles and the other three hits went over the fence.
• As a team, UCCS hit .410 at the plate and held the Cowboys to a .320 batting average and a combined 27 strikeouts.
• This weekend's series win is the second RMAC series win this season for UCCS (Colorado Christian).

 
UP NEXT

• UCCS will be on the road the next two weekends, beginning with a four-game series at Colorado Mesa University April 21-23.

 
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