LAKEWOOD, CO- The Cougars ended the year on a high note, sweeping New Mexico Highlands on the day for a series victory. Two electric games saw the Cougars pull out clutch victories to send 13 seniors off in style.
GAME ONE
If game three was anything, it was chaos in the best way possible. In a back-and-forth slug fest that featured 30 combined runs and 31 total hits, the Cougars outlasted New Mexico Highlands for a wild 16-14 victory Saturday afternoon at All Star Park. The Cougars struck first in fitting fashion, as
Lukas Hinze wasted no time setting the tone by launching a lead off home run to right in the opening inning.
Highlands answered with two runs in the second to briefly grab the lead, but CCU punched right back.
Gregory Rangel delivered a two-run single later in the frame, and
Mason Hagel-Pitt followed with an RBI knock to quickly swing the advantage back to the Cougars at 4-2. An RBI single from
Nathan Owens in the third extended the lead, but the real turning point came in the fifth.
With New Mexico Highlands trimming the deficit to just one, the Cougars unleashed their biggest inning of the afternoon. Patient at-bats loaded the bases before
Landry Hamm drew an RBI walk and Hinze followed with another run-scoring free pass. Then came the knockout sequence—Rangel ripped a bases-clearing double into the gap before Hagel-Pitt crushed a two-run homer to left center.
Cade Lacy and
Nathan Mensen added RBI hits later in the inning as CCU exploded for eight runs to break the game wide open and surge ahead 13-4.
However, the Cowboys refused to go down quietly. New Mexico Highlands stormed back with seven runs in the seventh and added three more in the eighth, suddenly turning what looked like a runaway into a one-run game. Walks, hit batters, and timely extra-base hits allowed the visitors to claw all the way back and put serious pressure on the Cougar bullpen late.
But each time Highlands made a push, CCU had an answer. The Cougars added two insurance runs in the sixth before Hinze and Rangel teamed up again in the eighth, with Hinze doubling and Rangel driving him home with a clutch RBI double that proved to be the difference.
Caleb Perry entered in the ninth and shut the door, recording the final two outs to secure the save and preserve the hard-fought win.
Offensively, it was one of the Cougars' most complete efforts of the season. Rangel turned in a monster performance, going a perfect 5-for-5 with seven RBIs and three doubles, tying the single-game RBI school record. Hagel-Pitt added three hits and three RBIs, while Hinze scored four times and finished with two RBIs, highlighted by the lead off blast.
Nathan Owens,
Cade Lacy, and
Nathan Mensen all added key run-producing hits as CCU racked up 18 hits on the afternoon. On the mound,
Brady Ritzmann gave the Cougars a strong start, working into the seventh and allowing just three earned runs to earn the win. Though the bullpen endured a turbulent late stretch, Perry's calm finish helped seal it.
GAME TWO
In a game that featured momentum swings from start to finish, CCU leaned on timely hitting and clutch late execution to secure the one-run victory and finish the weekend on a high note. New Mexico Highlands struck first in the second, using a solo homer from Webb-Tate to grab an early advantage. The Cowboys added another run in the fifth to stretch the lead to 2-1, applying steady pressure against Cougar starter
Cody Hill.
CCU answered in the third,
Mason Hagel-Pitt ripping an RBI double into the gap to plate
Landry Hamm and even things up. But the biggest offensive response came two innings later.
Trailing 2-1 entering the bottom of the fifth, the Cougars pieced together one of their trademark rallies. Rangel opened the frame with a double before
Cade Lacy drove him in with a run-scoring two-bagger.
Nathan Mensen followed with an RBI ground out,
Nathan Owens lined an RBI single to left, and
Landry Hamm capped the four-run inning with another RBI knock as CCU surged in front 5-2.
Just like last game, the Cowboys refused to fade. A three-run sixth inning, highlighted by a solo blast from Johnathan Davis and back-to-back RBI hits later in the frame, erased the Cougar lead and tied things back up at 5-5. Highlands added another run in the seventh to briefly reclaim control, putting the pressure squarely back on CCU heading into their final at-bat.
One final time, the Cougars would deliver. After
Aidan Welsh opened the bottom of the seventh with a clutch double down the left field line,
Taylor McLeod came through with the decisive swing of the afternoon, looping the walkoff RBI single to right to score the wining to complete the comeback and take the 7-6 lead as Welsh crossed home-plate.
At the plate, the Cougars were paced by
Taylor McLeod's perfect 4-for-4 performance, including the game-winning RBI.
Aidan Welsh also turned in a huge day, collecting three hits and scoring twice, while
Gregory Rangel added two hits, including a sixth-inning solo homer.
Cade Lacy,
Nathan Owens, and
Landry Hamm each drove in key runs as CCU totaled 14 hits in the win.
On the mound,
Cody Hill gave the Cougars six solid innings before handing things over to Novotny, who closed out the final frame. Defensively, CCU played a clean game without committing an error—an important factor in such a tightly contested battle.
The last game of the season, the Cougars walk away with the series victory, sending home 13 seniors in style. One game away from post-season, the Cougars improve their record from last year, taking step after step to continue to prove to be a team that can compete at a high level.
