LAS VEGAS, N.M. – After having their nine-game win streak snapped yesterday, the Regis University baseball team (17-9, 10-5 RMAC) split the doubleheader matchup with the New Mexico Highlands University Cowboys (10-16, 6-9 RMAC), winning game one 23-16, but falling 20-3 in game two on Saturday afternoon.

Josh Newell (6-8, 2 2B, HR, 4 RBI's) helped capture a game one win, but it was not enough to hold off the Cowboys who scored a total of 36 runs in the two games played, exploiting the pitching for 43 hits on the day.

Game One: Regis struck first again getting one run in the top of the first, but NMHU countered with three runs in the bottom half of the first to take an early 3-1 lead. The Rangers were quick to get back on top as they scored four runs in the top of the second coming on a three-run blast from junior Chris Kobar over the left field fence and a double from freshman Ryan Tierney, giving RU a 5-3 lead.

The home team tied the game at five runs apiece in the bottom of the second, but the visitors scored three runs on a two-run home run from junior Garrett Skillings and a two-out single from Kobar that scored redshirt-senior Geordy Smith to put Regis ahead 8-5. Senior Josh Newell hit a solo shot in the top of the fourth, but the Cowboys got the run right back with a solo shot of their own in the bottom half of the fourth, bringing the score to 9-6 after four complete innings.

From that point on it was a slugfest with Regis scoring nine in the fifth, three in the sixth and two in the seventh. NMHU scored three in the fifth and seven in the sixth, coming up seven runs short, 23-16 in the end. Junior Chris Quackenbush (W, 3-2) earned the victory pitching 4.1 innings, allowing 13 hits and nine earned runs, while striking out one.

Game Notes: The 23 runs scored by the Rangers ties the second-most runs scored in a single game, and 24 hits ties for third in the program's history. Tierney (4-5, 1B, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI's), Newell (4-6, 2 2B, HR, 4 RBI's), Skillings (4-5, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI's) and Kobar (4-5, HR, 6 RBI's) led the way with four hits apiece. Junior Christian Bitar (2-5, 2 HR, 3 RBI's) had two home runs in the game.

Game Two: The home team wasted little time in the second game as they tagged redshirt-sophomore Matt Heibult for three runs in the bottom of the first inning. NMHU added four runs in the bottom of both the third and fourth innings to take a large 11-1 lead over RU.

Regis added another run in the top of the fifth to give them two runs in the game, but they still trailed by nine runs with only two innings to go. After a pitching change, the Cowboys tagged Chris McMahon for six earned runs in the bottom of the fifth bolstering their lead to 15 runs, 17-2.

The Rangers added another run in the top of the sixth, but the home team scored two in the bottom half as the game continued to get away from them to the tune of 20-3 in favor of NMHU. That is the way the game would end, with the Rangers taking the big loss 20-3.

Game Notes: After their offensive explosion in game one, RU combined for only seven hits in 29 total at-bats. Newell (2-2, R) and Smith (2-3, 2B, RBI) each tallied two hits in the game to lead the team. Senior Max Fabricant (1-4, RBI), junior Andrew Bryniarski (1-4), and Skillings (1-4, 2B) were the only other players to record a hit in the game.  

Up Next for the Rangers: The teams will finish off the four-game series with the series finale tomorrow at noon as Regis looks to earn a series split with the Cowboys, despite currently trailing 1-2 in the series. Next weekend, the Regis baseball team will return home for a four-games series with cross-town rival Metropolitan State University-Denver.