Colorado Christian traveled to Las Vegas, New Mexico and began their four-game series against New Mexico Highlands on Friday afternoon. Fortune favored the offenses on both sides throughout the game, but at the end CCU came up just a bit short as they fell by a final score of 20-18.
 
Eli Ludwig was nearly unstoppable on the day as he finished the game with five hits, five runs and three RBI. He fell just a homerun short of hitting for the cycle. Ludwig tied the CCU Baseball programs single game records for both hits with five and runs scored with five. He wasn't the only one who had an offensive explosion in the game as Wyatt Crenshaw was equally as impressive. Crenshaw finished the game 4-5 with five RBI and four runs scored. He collected two triples and tallied two homeruns as well. Every player from CCU that came to the plate in the game collected at least one hit, and five Cougars turned in multiple hits in the series opener.
 
CCU jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first inning highlighted by a timely single through the right side of the infield by Gabe Ramos which drove in two runs. After New Mexico Highlands responded with two runs in the bottom half of the inning, CCU continued rolling on offense in the second inning starting with a two out RBI triple by Eli Ludwig which allowed Wyatt Crenshaw to hit in the inning. Crenshaw delivered as he belted a two-run homerun over the right center field fence to give them an early 6-2 lead. Highlands was not rattled as they tallied four runs of their own to tie the game after an action packed first two innings.
 
Andrew Lloyd gave the Cougars the lead back in the third inning as he had an RBI single. CCU held the Cowboys in the bottom half of the inning and added to their lead again in the fourth thanks to Eli Ludwig and Jordan Medina. Ludwig doubled to score Frankie Shearn who had singled earlier in the inning, and Medina later singled to score Ludwig which gave CCU the 9-6 lead. NMHU got one back in the bottom of the fourth, but then in the fifth inning Wyatt Crenshaw once again showed off his power as he once again blasted a homerun to right center field scoring Eli Ludwig.
 
Colorado Christian had built a four-run lead heading into the later innings, but Highlands continued to battle back scoring three runs in the fifth inning to get back within one. After holding the Cougars scoreless for the first time in the top of the sixth inning, they seized all the momentum in the bottom half of the inning. Highlands sent 15 hitters to the plate in the inning as they tallied 10 runs to take a 20-11 lead going into the seventh inning.
 
After a scoreless seventh inning from both sides, CCU mounted a valiant comeback attempt in the eighth inning. Wyatt Crenshaw led off the inning with a triple and was followed by RBI singles from both Jordan Medina and Caden Walton. Luke Thompson came up clutch with a pinch hit double and continued the offensive surge for the team. Frankie Shearn followed that up with a triple to score Walton and Thompson which trimmed the Highlands lead back down to four. Eli Ludwig continued his impressive game with an RBI single to score Shearn and he came around to score on Wyatt Crenshaw's second triple of the inning. The Cougars has bounced back and now trailed by two as the score was 20-18.
 
The comeback was not meant to be however, as Highlands was able to shut the door and record the final three outs of the game and prevent the Cougars from overcoming the improbable deficit.
 
 
With the loss, the teams overall record now sits at 2-11, and 0-1 in conference play. The team will be back in action Saturday afternoon in New Mexico for games two and three of their series with Highlands. First pitch in game one is scheduled for 11am MST.