COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs baseball team brought their bats to the double header Sunday afternoon against Colorado Christian University. The Mountain Lions combined for 35 runs scored, thanks in part to a historic day from first baseman,
Caleb Stubbings.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final Game One: UCCS 19, CCU 18 | Final Game Two: UCCS 16, CCU 5
Records: UCCS (13-17, 5-7 RMAC) | CCU (9-19-1, 6-10 RMAC)
Facility | Location: Mountain Lion Park | Colorado Springs, Colo.
All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions lead the all-time series over the Cougars, 24-4.
HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME ONE
- Following a quick first inning of work from starting pitcher John Hoffman, the Mountain Lions wasted no time getting on the scoreboard. Hayden Iverson continued his hot series at the plate, sending the first pitch he saw over the left center fence, giving UCCS the early 1-0 lead.
- The Cougars offense got rolling after the slow start, rattling off 10 straight runs over the next three innings. A grand slam from Boedy Flores and a two-run blast from Gabe Flores helped extend CCU's lead to 10-1.
- With the score sitting at 10-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning, Iverson once again jumped on the first pitch he saw, blasting a solo shot over the left field wall. After entering the game in the top of the inning, Mason Pastorello instantly made his presence felt, hitting his first homerun of the season. Caleb Stubbings joined the homerun party, sending a two-run shot over the left field scoreboard, giving the Mountain Lions their third homerun in four batters.
- After getting three runs back in the top of the sixth inning, the CCU lead was 13-6. Luis Samorano entered the game as a defensive substitution but made his mark at the plate. His solo homerun started what would be a seven-run inning for the Mountain Lions. Following a Kit Wigington RBI single, Stubbings crushed a three-run homerun of the game to cut the lead to two. Doubles from Tyler Richardson and Vander Hodges would plate two more runners, as the score was knotted at 13 runs apiece.
- CCU bounced back in big way in the top of the seventh inning, plating five runs, thanks in part to back-to-back home runs with two outs in the inning. Stubbings continued his big day at the plate, roping a single into left field that brought Pastorello in to score. Richardson would bring across two more UCCS runners on a ground rule double, followed by an RBI groundout from Hodges, cutting the deficit to just one run.
- The eighth inning saw true freshman Joe McDermott take the mound, tasked with keeping the red hot Cougar offense at bay. McDermott would do just that, pitching two perfect innings, striking out two batters, to give UCCS a chance to win it in the bottom of the ninth.
- After Wigington drew a walk, Stubbings was back in the box with the opportunity to be the hero. Stubbings demolished the first pitch he saw, sending a blast over the batter's eye in center field for his third homerun of the game. UCCS took game one of the double header, with an exciting 19-18 victory.
GAME STATISTICS | GAME ONE
- UCCS tallied 19 hits, 11 of which went for extra bases. Stubbings led the way, going four-for-four with three homeruns, two walks, and a stellar eight RBI.
- Iverson chipped in with three hits of his own, two of which were homeruns.
- Dylan Morace entered into the game in the fifth inning and recorded his first three hits of the season, scoring twice.
- McDermott was credited with his second win of the season, pitching two perfect innings of relief.
HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME TWO
- Pastorello carried his power surge into game two of Sunday's doubleheader, crushing his second solo homerun of the day.
- Marko Sipila drew the start, facing early pressure from the CCU offense. The Cougars scored three runs early in the game, granting them a 3-1 lead going into the bottom of the third inning.
- With one gone in the inning and the bases loaded, Stubbings stepped up to the plate with a chance to give the Mountain Lions the lead. No surprise to anyone in attendance, Stubbings hit a moon shot over the scoreboard, securing a grand slam for his fourth homerun of the afternoon. Keegan Sueltz joined in on the fun, sending an RBI single back up the middle, capping off a five-run inning, seeing the UCCS lead grow to 6-3.
- After giving up runs early, Sipila settled in, pitching three straight scoreless innings, surrendering only one hit, trusting his defense to get the job done.
- UCCS continued to pour it on in the bottom of the fifth inning, tallying RBI hits from Hodges, Iverson, and Pastorello. The Mountain Lions recorded four runs, giving them an 11-3 lead going into the sixth.
- Following multiple defensive changes from CCU, Stubbings entered the box to start the bottom of the sixth inning. For the fifth time today, Stubbings crushed a homerun over the scoreboard, capping off one of the most prolific hitting performances in UCCS baseball history.
- Iverson got in on the action, hitting a grand slam for his third big fly of the day. While CCU would get two runs back in the top of the seventh inning, it ultimately would not make a difference, as the Mountain Lions won the last game of the series, 16-5.
GAME STATISTICS | GAME TWO
- It was Stubbings and Iverson who once again led the offensive attack of UCCS. The pair combined for four hits, three homeruns and an outstanding 10 RBI.
- Pastorello had an impressive performance of his own, securing three hits, two RBI and a homerun.
- Sipila went the full seven innings en-route to his first win of the season. The righthander struck out three batters, issuing only one walk and giving up five earned runs.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Stubbings had a monster day at the plate, setting the single game program record for RBIs with eight. He also tied the program record for most homeruns in a single game with three. For the series Stubbings recorded 11 hits, five homeruns, and 14 RBI.
- Stubbings extended his hitting streak to an impressive eight games.
- Iverson was on fire all series long. The sophomore notched 10 hits, three doubles, four homeruns and 12 RBI.
- The Mountain Lion's seven homeruns in the first game of the doubleheader were the second most in a game in program history.
UP NEXT
- UCCS will travel to Denver to take on the Regis University Rangers in a four-game series, starting on Thursday, April 6th at 2 p.m.
