Golden, CO – The Cougars took the field at Jim Darden field for the second time this weekend with a doubleheader, walking away with a day split, good for an overall series split. Game 3 saw the Cougars outlast the Orediggers 13-22, falling just short in Game 4 4-9.
Game Three
The first five innings were all about control, and it was nothing but control from
Brady Ritzmann. Ritzmann set the tone, pitching efficiently and keeping Mines off-balance. The right-hander tossed five shutout innings, allowing just three hits to keep CCU firmly in front off of a Hagel-Pitt grounder that bring Kang home.
The Cougars slowly and patiently built their lead.
Nathan Owens got things started with a solo shot in the fifth, while timely situational hitting—sacrifice flies from
Mason Hagel-Pitt and Owens—helped push the lead to 4-0 heading into the sixth. Mines wouldn't, however, go down without a fight.
A big sixth inning from Mines, fueled by walks and a bases-clearing double, erased the Cougar lead in a hurry and abruptly put CCU on its heels, trailing 5-4. Unphased, the Cougars would answer when needed.
CCU would add four more in the 8
th, highlighted yet again by Rangel, leaving yard for the second time in as many innings. Nathan Menson and Aiden Welsh added RBI knocks as the Cougars stretched the lead to 13-5, looking firmly in control late. Mines made things interesting down the stretch, plating two in the eighth before a four-run ninth, capped by a home run, tightening the game late. The Cougar's were able to record the final outs and close the door, snuffing out any late breath the Orediggers thought they had.
Rangel led the offensive charge with three hits and four RBIs, including two home runs, while Owens added three RBIs of his own. Hinze reached base all afternoon, and Mensen and Welsh each contributed multi-hit performances in a well-rounded attack that produced 13 runs on 11 hits.
On the mound, it was a tale of two halves. Ritzmann's strong start gave the Cougars control early, and
Austin DeMello was credited with the win out of the bullpen. Despite a late push from Mines,
Caleb Perry was able to secure the save and finish things off.
Game Four
Mines wasted no time setting the tone early in Game 4. A pair of runs in the opening inning—helped along by a defensive miscue—gave the Orediggers an early edge, and they didn't looked back.
The decisive blow came in the third. After putting traffic on the bases, Mines delivered back-to-back big swings, including a three-run homer, to cap off a five-run inning that quickly stretched the lead to 7-0 and put the Cougars in an early hole. CCU struggled to find an offensive rhythm, looking to find an answer in the batters box. Despite working walks and creating some opportunities, the Cougars managed just four hits on the afternoon and couldn't string together enough timely contact to climb back into it.
Nathan Mensen got CCU on the board in the sixth with a two-run double, driving in a pair after patient at-bats set the table. An inning later,
Austin DeMello came off the bench and delivered another key swing, lining a two-run double to cut the deficit to 9-4. Mines would close the game out for the day and series split.
Individually, the Cougars were led by a handful of strong performances at the plate, as
Nathan Owens paced the offense with a two-hit day, while
Nathan Mensen and
Austin DeMello each delivered clutch two-RBI doubles that accounted for all four runs. On the mound,
Wyatt Saul provided a steady presence out of the bullpen, tossing two scoreless innings to give CCU a chance to settle things down mid-game.
The Cougars will be back in action at All-Star Park for senior weekend against New Mexico Highlands May 1
st & 2
nd. Needing a series sweep for any shot at the RMAC tournament, CCU will look to build on the two wins from this previous series. First pitch on the 1
st is set for 1pm MDT.
