LAS VEGAS, NM- The Cougars began their final series of the 2025 season on Friday with a doubleheader at New Mexico Highlands. After dropping game one 12-6, CCU responded with an offensive explosion in a 23-14 game two victory. 

GAME ONE 
CCU took the early lead as Major Maydon lifted a sac fly to centerfield to plate Lukas Hinze. NMHU answered with four straight runs in the first and second before Maydon uncorked a two-run homer to right field to make it a 4-3 game. Nathan Owens ripped a solo shot in the fourth, and Gavin Acosta made it a one run game with an RBI double at 6-5. One more ball left the yard off the bat of Gregory Rangel, but the Cowboys ended up taking the 12-6 victory. 

Zachary Hill went five innings on the mound with three strikeouts and Bennett Manley closed the final three innings in relief with three strikeouts of his own. Maydon paced the offense with three RBI as CCU launched three homers in the game. 

GAME TWO
The second contest of the day was an extremely high scoring back and forth affair that saw the two teams post high scoring innings, racking up the RBI. An error in the first allowed a Cougars run, and Major Maydon continued to tee off on the hosts pitching staff with another two-run bomb tight field to make it 3-0. The Cowboys scored seven unanswered before CCU responded.

A massive third inning saw the Cougars plate seven runs as a Hinze sac fly and Seth Gustafson RBI single got the rally started. Tanner Rae notched an RBI hit by pitch, and Acosta singled home two more. Rangel and Mason Hagel-Pitt notched an RBI apiece as the visitors took a 10-7 lead. NMHU once again came back to take an 11-10 lead, but it would not last long. 

Maydon singled in a run in the fifth, and Hinze blasted a two-run home run for the 14-11 advantage. The sixth was another massive inning for the offense as Hagel-Pitt slashed an RBI double before William Brassil brought in another run with a single. Three more runs crossed the plate on a bases loaded walk and a pair of RBI groundouts to make it 20-12.  

Hagel-Pitt sent one out of the park in the seventh with a two-run big fly, and Gustafson singled in the last run of the game in a crazy 23-14 victory. 

Matthew Morben came in to start the fourth and got the win with four innings pitched with a pair of strikeouts. Hagel-Pitt had an impressive five RBI, while Maydon, Hinze and Gustafson knocked in three runs apiece.  

The Cougars will look to close the 2025 season strong on May 3 as they finish with a doubleheader against the Cowboys at 12 and 3 p.m. MST.