The CCU Cougars take the win in the final game of this weekend's series by a score of 9-5, avoiding what would have been their first series sweep in RMAC play. The win is obviously a positive, but the Cougars still have a lot of work to do with a record of 9-13 overall (4-8 RMAC) if they want to reach the RMAC tournament this year. CCU currently sits in 7^th place in the RMAC rankings, three games behind 6^th place CSU-Pueblo, who they would need to pass to qualify for this year's tournament.
 
The game started off quietly, with only two hits in the first two and a half innings. Both hits were from CCU, and while UCCS managed to put three runners on base in that time frame, neither team was able to make anything of the early baserunners. That changed in the bottom of the third inning when the Cougars began to hit. With one out, the top of the order came up to bat and Cooper Gray and Hunter Hays each singled, Hay's pushed Gray over to third base. With runners on the corners Jerry Gallegos came up to bat and sent a sac fly to center field, more than deep enough for the speedy Gray to tag up for the game's first run. Following the score, Scotty Wright would work a walk that would put Hays on second with Austin Atkerson due up. Atkerson sent a literal bat breaking double into right center field, scoring both of his teammates on base. The Cougars would take an early 3-0 lead.
 
As they have been doing all series though, UCCS answered those CCU runs with four of their own. Up until this point UCCS had not managed a hit, but they worked a walk to lead off the fourth inning, got a single, and another walk to load the bases. With the count at 1-0, the Mountain Lions launched a no doubt grand slam to go up 4-3 and snatching the short-lived lead away from the Cougars.
 
The next three half innings would all be 1-2-3 innings as the pitchers had locked into the zone. UCCS threatened in the top of the 6^th inning, and put two men on with two outs, but CCU starting pitcher Bailey Chesterton was up for the challenge and got the last out with a strike out looking.
 
With the momentum on their side the Cougars got off to a fast start in the bottom half of the 6^th inning. Scotty Wright led off and smacked the first pitch he saw through the left side for a single. Austin Atkerson sent another ball down the right field line for a double, scoring Wright. Atkerson would advance to third from a sac bunt by Kaleb Johnson, and then score on Joel Manzano's first homerun of the season to right field. The Cougars shortstop JC Barrios would follow that with a walk, and then steal second and third, but would be stranded there after the inning ended on a strikeout.
 
UCCS would only send three batters to the plate in the top of the 7^th, unable to get any of them past first base. In the bottom of the 7^th Hunter Hays would lead off with a single to left center, advance to second on a ground out, and reach third safely on a passed ball. Wright would later walk to put runners on the corners, but the Cougars would be gifted a run when the Mountain Lions pitcher was called for a balk, sending Wright to second and Hays home for another run, putting the Cougars up 7-4.
 
The Mountain Lions would have the bases loaded with no outs in the top of the 8^th inning when reliever Zach Haning would enter the game. He struck out the first batter he faced, then let in one run when his pitch got away from him and hit the batter in the box, but would recover nicely and force a ground out to third for an easy third out of the inning, limiting the potential damage to just one run.
 
The bottom of the 8^th saw the Cougars again manage a 2-out rally, utilizing three singles and a stolen base to score two more insurance runs to go up 9-5. UCCS would send their 2-3-4 hitters to the plate in the top of the ninth, but Haning forced a line out to second, a pop up to first, and a ground out to second to retire them in order and earn himself a five-out save, and the Cougars their fourth conference win.
 
The Cougars pitching held the Mountain Lions in check and there was almost no room for error. The Cougars had used just about every reliever they had in the series at least once, many of them twice though, for a total of 15 relievers and four starters in four games. Starting pitcher Bailey Chesterton threw 115 pitches and gave the bullpen a more familiar task coming in in the 8^th inning rather than the second or fifth as previous game had demanded. Chesterton earned his second win of the season allowing just two hits and four earned runs, while striking out two and walking seven. Chesterton allowed the Mountain Lions bad hits, forcing them to fly out 10 times and ground out seven more times in game four. Michael Cantrell made a brief apperence in the 8^th inning allowing two hits and one earned run before allowing the bases to be loaded and being replaced by Haning. Haning earned the save in 1 2/3's innings of work, striking out one and allowing no hits.
 
Hunter Hays led the Cougars in hits on the day with three, and scored three runs and notched one RBI. Cooper Gray and Scotty Wright each scored two runs, while Gallegos and Manzano tallied 2 RBI's, and Atkerson drove in three.
 
The Cougars are slated for a pair of double-headers this coming Friday and Saturday against Adams State University, with Friday's games being played in Golden at the Colorado School of Mines, and Saturday coming back to All Star Park in Lakewood. However, there are forecasts of inclement weather for that time frame, so be sure to check ccucougars.com for the most up-to-date scheduling information.