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Box Score 2 PUEBLO, Colo. – When the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference preseason poll came out more than three months ago, the Cowboys found themselves selected to finish second behind the ThunderWolves. How fitting a double-header sweep over CSU-Pueblo gave Highlands the Plains division title.
The New Mexico Highlands baseball team (28-16, 25-9 RMAC) used strong pitching for a 5-2 win in game one and out slugged CSU-Pueblo (23-21, 19-14 RMAC) 15-8 in game two as the Cowboy swept the preseason Plains Division champions Saturday afternoon (April 26) in their own stadium in Pueblo, Colo.
Coming off a thrilling, come-from-behind win on Friday, senior
Greg Hansen toed the rubber in game one on Saturday and was perfect through four innings as Highlands offense scored a trio of runs. With one out in the first, senior
Justin Rodriguez doubled and scored on junior
Colby Wilmer's two out, RBI single. In the second, seniors
Javier Ledford and
Tyler Hayes both reached to beginning the inning. A sacrifice moved them into scoring position before a base running blunder went way of the Cowboys. In the next at-bat, junior
Andrew Ratterman grounded to the right side. While the out was recorded, Hayes took off for third not realizing Ledford was not going home. Hayes successfully returned to second, but Ledford went home as the Cowboys led 2-0.
With the bases loaded and no outs in the third, a double play allowed redshirt junior
Matthew Chavez to score what proved to be the winning run.
While the Cowboys managed 11 runs on five hits Friday night, they flipped the script and had 11 hits and five runs in game one Saturday. Every Highland's players who appeared in the starting line-up recorded a hit. Chavez had a hit in each of his two at-bats with two walks and two runs scored. Junior
Morgan McCasland contributed two hits and an RBI. Hansen improved to 7-3 on the mound, allowing three hits and two runs (one earned) in six innings of work.
Senior
Ben Ruff retired the side in order in the seventh – including a pair of strikeouts – for his seventh save of the year.
Ruff was looking at a three-run cushion thanks to a pair of insurance runs in the seventh. Chavez and McCasland both doubled to lead off the frame before senior
Jordan Goliat added a two-out single.
As much as Highlands dinked and dunked its way to a win in game one, the Cowboys flexed their muscles with three long balls in game two. With the Cowboys already up 4-0 in the first, Hayes hit his first long ball of the year with a man on to cap a six-run inning.
Hayes became the 13th different Cowboy on the year with a home run.
Rodriguez hit his second of the season, a solo shot, in the second. Junior
Nick Gonzales fittingly wrapped up the scoring in the game with a two-run home run – his second of the season – in the seventh. Gonzales finished the game 3-for-4 with four RBI's and four runs scored. Hayes added three hits and five RBI's. Junior
Zach Settles (3-2) threw the final four innings for the wins, allowing four hits and a run.
CSU-Pueblo scored five runs on three home runs in the second game. Dominick Bregar hit a two-out, two run home run in the second while Mike Wagner led off the third with an inside the park home run. Scott Hoyt added a two-run home run in the fourth.
Bregar led the ThunderWolves from the plate just a triple short of the cycle in game two in three at-bats with three runs scored and a pair of RBI's. Jessie Bristow took the loss in game two, falling to 5-5 by surrendering six hits and six runs in 0.2 innings. Lonny Schoon lost game one and fell 5-2, allowing 10 hits and five runs in six innings of work.
With the win, Highlands clinched a winning record for the season against CSU-Pueblo.
The Cowboys aim for their fourth RMAC sweep of 2014 Sunday (April 27) at noon against CSU-Pueblo.
