Box Score The 2018 Cougar Baseball season is underway and in a big way. Colorado Christian opened-up their season with a big win on Friday, February 8^th, when they defeated the Dallas Christian College Crusaders 13-1 in Cleburne, TX. The Cougars are 1-0 to start their season for the first time since the 2009 season.
 
The Cougars wasted no time dictating the game. As the home team, CCU sent junior lefty Bayley Chesterton to the mound to start their season. Chesterton, who was making his first start for CCU after transferring from Riverside Comm. College in Riverside, CA, made short work of the Crusaders and struck out the side in the top of the first. Chesterton allowed no hits, walked one, and struck out four batters before he was retired prior to the start of the fourth inning. Chesterton's short stint wouldn't qualify him for the win in the game, but he definitely set the tone defensively for the Cougars.
 
On the offensive side of the plate, things couldn't have gone much better for CCU. Starting the season in the lead-off spot for the Cougars, was senior Cooper Gray, 2017's RMAC stolen base leader. Gray wasted no time getting into the swing of 2018 and launched a triple into right center field. With Gray waiting on third for his hit home, All South-Central Region player Jerry Gallegos took his first base of the year after taking a pitch to his back, the first of two pitches that would find his body rather than his bat that game. As Gallegos waited patiently a few steps off first base for the next pitch, the Dallas Christian pitcher attempted a pick-off throw that got away from him and into the first base line wall, allowing Gallegos an easy steal of second, and Gray an open lane to home plate, scoring the Cougars first run of the season.
 
The Cougars would go on to score 13 runs in the game, a feat they managed just five times last year, and not until the 28^th game of the season. Leading the way to those 13 runs was senior Austin Maltby who went 2-3 on the day with 5 RBI's, 3 runs, and a grand slam in the 4^th inning to put the Cougars up 9-0 at that point. Cooper Gray also had a substantial game. Gray ended the day going 2-5 with a double and a triple, 3 RBI's and plating 2 runs himself.