ALVA, OK- The Cougars kicked off their 2025 season on Friday afternoon in Alva as they took on the hosts Northwestern Oklahoma State. It was a pitching duel throughout, but in the end the Rangers managed to score the winning run in the ninth to walkoff CCU in the season opener 3-2. 

Brady Ritzmann got the opening day start on the mound for Colorado Christian, and he was excellent throughout. Mason Hagel-Pitt picked up the first hit of the season with a single through the left side, but nothing came of it in the initial inning. The Rangers struck first blood off an RBI single in the third, but Ritzmann snuffed out any further threat by inducing a groundout. 

The Cougars got on the board in the fifth after Gavin Acosta singled and advanced to third off a Connor Laeng single. Ross Panlasigui stepped up to the plate and launched a sac fly into right centerfield to plate Acosta and tie things at 1-1 after 5 innings of play. 

Hagel-Pitt then gave his team a jolt, batting second in the sixth inning. The junior got a hold of a pitch and sent it flying over the right centerfield wall as CCU clawed their way ahead 2-1 with their first home run of the season. Things stayed tense the rest of the way as NWOSU tried to find a way to tie the game. They did so in the 8th on a sac fly off of Sawyer Shepherd as the two teams headed to the ninth all square at 2-2. 

The hosts used a pair of pitchers to get out of the top of ninth unscathed, and after a double from the Rangers, they walked it off with a double off of Matthew Morben to claim a season opening victory 3-2. 

Ritzmann went six innings while allowing one run on just two hits and five strikeouts. Hagel-Pitt paced the offense with a 2-4 day including a homer while Panlasigui tacked on an RBI on his sac fly. 

The Cougars will take on the Rangers again on February 1 in a doubleheader with first pitches set for 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. MST.