Fresh off of two emotional walk-off wins last week at home, Colorado Christian continued their winning ways by taking the first of a four-game set on the road, defeating New Mexico Highlands 9-6 on Friday.
 
Ryan Erazo got the nod as the CCU starter and won his third game of 2015. Erazo threw seven innings, and while he scattered ten hits he allowed just three runs. Perhaps most importantly, Erazo issued just a single walk on the afternoon, an issue that has plagued Christian pitchers this season.
 
Erazo received plenty of run support from his offense on Friday as the Cougars strung together multi-run innings to bury the host Cowboys. Christian hung eight runs on the board in a three inning stretch to give themselves a comfortable lead.
 
Catcher Weston Wiederhold had his biggest run-producing day at the plate as a Cougar, knocking in three RBI--the first from a sacrifice fly and two more from his single in the third inning.
 
Colorado Christian racked up 15 hits but strangely only two went for extra bases. Doubles by Dustin Conley and Jerry Gallegos were the only CCU hits that weren't singles. Gallegos' double brought in two runs in the second inning while Conley's was part of a four-hit day for the senior.
 
Conley's recent hot streak-- 14 hits in his last 6 games-- has the first baseman now hitting a team-high .366. An Austin Atkerson run-scoring single in the seventh stretched the lead to 9-2 and the Cougars needed all the insurance they could get.
 
Highlands dared to make things interesting when they pushed three runs across the plate in the bottom half of the ninth inning. The Cowboys actually had the tying run on-deck when Alistair Reynolds forced a line out to end the game and the threat.
 
It was the Cougars' sixth RMAC win of the season and third in the last five games. Christian and NMHU will play two tomorrow, beginning at 1 PM.