LAKEWOOD, CO- It was a beautiful sunny day in Colorado as the Cougars hosted a home opening doubleheader at All Star Park against Newman University. After dropping the first game 9-3, CCU responded well as they shut down the Jets for a 6-1 game two victory.
GAME ONE
Newman jumped ahead 2-0 in the first inning off a pair of RBI singles, but CCU had a response in their half of the first. After a
Mason Hagel-Pitt walk,
Major Maydon blasted a towering two-run homer that hit halfway up the batters eye to level the score at 2-2.
A run in the fourth from the Jets saw them take a 3-2 lead, but once again the Cougars had an answer as
Gregory Rangel singled in the tying run in the seventh as the final two innings arrived with things square at 3-3. Things unraveled in the final two innings for CCU as four runs in the eighth and two more in the ninth saw Newman pull away for a 9-3 victory in what was an extremely competitive and close game through seven innings of play.
Brady Ritzmann recorded his second straight quality start to begin the year, going 7 innings with just two earned runs allowed. Maydon uncorked his third homer of the year to lead the offense.
GAME TWO
In the second game of the day, a seven inning contest, CCU jumped ahead and never looked back. Hagel-Pitt notched an RBI double in the first, and Maydon picked up an RBI groundout to make it 2-0 after one. The Jets managed to scratch a run across in the second to make it 2-1, but that was as close as they would get.
In the bottom of the third,
William Brassil lined a scorcher that left the yard in a hurry to right field for a three-run homer and some important insurance to give his team a 5-1 lead. Rangel singled home another run in the fourth for a 6-1 lead, and CCU never let up as they silenced the Jets' bats to grab a 6-1 victory in game two.
Chad Naf claimed the victory with 5 innings pitched, 1 run allowed and a pair of strikeouts.
Matthew Morben closed the final two innings out with stellar pitching, finding the strike zone early and often on his way to two scoreless innings of work. The Cougars were extremely opportunistic offensively, scoring six runs on five hits led by the three-run bomb from Brassil.
CCU will look to claim the three-game series against Newman at home on February 8 with first pitch slated for 12 p.m. MST.
