LAKEWOOD, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs baseball team allows six in the sixth inning as they fall in the weekend finale to Regis University 9-8 in Lakewood.
INSIDE THE MATCH-UP
- Final: UCCS 8, RU 9
- Records: UCCS (10-5, 0-0 RMAC) | RU (9-7, 0-0)
- Facility | Location: All Star Park | Lakewood, Colo.
- All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions all-time record vs the Rangers moves to 19-18.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- UCCS got the scoring started for the third time this weekend, as Evan Steinberger singled to center field to lead off the second inning of play. Nolan Oliver followed with a ground out to the left side, but Steinberger advanced safely to second on the play, setting up Tyler Genrich to bring Steinberger home for the first run of the game. Dillion Vroman and Mikey Brinton would also come up in the inning, but neither were able to reach as UCCS took the 1-0 lead to the home half of the second.
- Regis answered back right away, even though Joe McDermott and the Mountain Lions were able to get two quick outs in the bottom half of the inning. After Jack Moulin reached on a hit by pitch, Peter Goldy launched a two-run homer to give Regis the one-run lead. Grayson Headrick would add a two out double but was stranded on Ayden Harrison's fly out to end the inning.
- The back-and-forth continued in the top of the third inning as UCCS struck with back-to-back hits from their leadoff hitters to tie the game at two. Bryce Peterson drove a double into the left center field gap to begin the inning, as Kit Wigington got his day started when he pulled an RBI single through the right side to score Peterson. Hayden Iverson then came up to push it to three straight hits, putting runners on first and second with no one out, but Regis earned a strikeout and two fly outs to strand Wigington and Iverson in scoring position.
- Five runners would reach in the nine outs from the bottom of the third to the end of the fourth, before UCCS went back to work in the top of the fifth. Bryce Peterson was retired on a foul out to begin the inning, but two straight singles from Wigington and Iverson put runners on the corners with one out for Trevor Dale. Dale would lift a sacrifice fly to right center to bring Kit Wigington home, then Evan Steinberger doubled for his second hit of the day allowing Iverson to use his speed and score from first. Nolan Oliver's fly out to center would end the frame, but UCCS picked up the two-run advantage at 4-2 heading to the home half of the fifth.
- A leadoff double was the only base runner allowed in the fifth from Joe McDermott, bringing UCCS back up to start the sixth still ahead by a pair. Tyler Genrich went down looking to begin the inning, but Vroman picked him up with a single up the middle that chased starter Nick Jacobs. Zach Gregory came on for the Rangers and forced Mikey Brinton into a fielder's choice that eliminated Vroman at second. Brinton would swipe second to change the situation to one in scoring position with two outs, allowing himself to score on Bryce Peterson's single. Kit Wigington kept his day going with his third hit in four at bats before Iverson was retired on a lineout to end the threat.
- The Rangers made their hay in the bottom half of the inning after entering facing a three-run deficit. Maxim Fullerton led things off with a single, and Jack Moulin followed with a single of his own to put runners on first and second with no one out. Clay Conn then dropped a great bunt that UCCS couldn't turn into an out, as the bases were then loaded without an out recorded. Joe McDermott came back against Peter Goldy to earn the strikeout, but a passed ball would move the runners up ninety feet and cut the UCCS lead to two. Now with runners on second and third and one out, Grayson Headrick worked a walk that ended the day for McDermott as Vander Hodges was called into action. Ayden Harrison was the first to face the right-hander for the Mountain Lions, and the third baseman for the Rangers was able to lift a sacrifice fly to right as the lead dwindled to one. CJ Difiglia loaded the bases once again when he was plunked, setting up Adam Paniagua to crush a grand slam to give the Rangers the three run lead 8-5.
- UCCS got a run back in the visitor's half of the seventh after two free bases were given to Trevor Dale and Evan Steinberger on a hit by pitch and a walk. Pierce Stone would come on to try and thwart the threat and was able to get two straight outs before he walked Dillion Vroman and was replaced by Colter Wilson. The swaps, however, wouldn't keep UCCS off the board as Mikey Brinton reached on a dropped third strike to bring Trevor Dale home and pull the Mountain Lions within two runs once again.
- A Peter Goldy sacrifice line out in the bottom half of the seventh would score Jack Moulin to tack on an insurance run for Regis, one that would prove to be the utmost important as the Mountain Lions came up to bat in the eighth.
- Facing a three-run hole once again, UCCS responded offensively in the top of the eighth inning. Kit Wigington stayed hot as he doubled down the left field line to capture his fourth straight hit then was pulled as Quinn Medin came on to pinch run in scoring position. Hayden Iverson then traded places with Medin with a double of his own, as UCCS cut into the lead with back-to-back extra base hits. Iverson was moved to third on Trevor Dale's ground out to short, then was brought home as Steinberger grounded out to second. Caleb Chance put good contact on Brendan Thome in his at bat, but swatted it to second base for the final out, as Regis held on to their lead at just one-run 9-8.
- A CJ Difiglia single in the bottom of the eighth was the only base runner over the final six outs, as Regis clamped down to retire the side in the ninth, defeating UCCS in a tightly contested 9-8 classic to close the weekend for the Mountain Lions.
GAME STATISTICS
- Kit Wigington and Hayden Iverson both recorded four hits in five at-bats out of the three and four holes, respectively.
- UCCS gave themselves opportunities to add to their total, but struggled to cash in on many occasions as they stranded 11 teammates on base Sunday.
- Zach Gregory (1-0) picks up the victory for the Rangers coming on in relief as Noah McCandless closed his second save of the season without allowing a base runner. Joe McDermott (1-1) falls to even on the year as he suffers the loss for UCCS.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- UCCS turns in a near-perfect fielding performance on the weekend with one error committed over their four games played.
- The Mountain Lions fall to 1-4 in one-run games this season, with every series finale thus far being decided by a single run.
- Mountain Lion pitching has been very good to start the 2025 season, as the UCCS staff owns a 4.33 team Earned Run Average, trailing just Colorado Mesa (3.79) for the lowest in the RMAC.
- The Mountain Lions head into conference play with a 10-5 record, their best record through 15 games since 2021 when they began the season 11-4.
UP NEXT
- UCCS opens conference play at home on Friday when they take on Colorado Christian at 2 p.m. at Mountain Lion Park.
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 14 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.
