GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. –The No. 6 seeded Regis University baseball team (27-24, 18-16 RMAC) was eliminated from the RMAC Tournament with an 8-5 loss to the No. 4 seeded Colorado State University – Pueblo (29-22, 19-16 RMAC).
How It Happened: CSU-P quickly put four runs on the board in the first inning. They took a 4-0 lead with four single, a walk, and a hit-by-pitch.
It was not until the third inning that Regis recorded their first hit. Sophomore
Coby Zimmerman collected a double to centerfield and scored the Rangers first run on an RBI-single through the left-side by junior
Connor Rochon.
The very next batter, senior
Andrew Bryniarski, pulled the score to 4-3 with a two-out, two-run homerun to left-field.
The Thunderwolves added one run to their total in the fifth inning off a lead-off triple and a single but RU answered back with a run of their own in the bottom half of the inning. Singles by freshman
Marcus Salvato and senior
Chris Kobar made it a one-run game again, 5-4.
They both traded runs again it the sixth inning but it was CSU-P who scored unanswered runs in the seventh and eighth to create an 8-5 cushion for themselves.
Regis put two runners on board with zero outs in the eighth inning and could not come away with any runs as the next three batters were retired 1-2-3.
Needing three runs to tie the game in the ninth inning, Zimmerman led-off with a single up the middle but was taken off the base path with a Thunderwolves' double-play. Rochon gave the Rangers a little life with a two-out single through the left-side. Another single by Bryniarski put the tying run at the plate in senior
Garrett Skillings but a pop-up to second base ended the game.
Game Notes: RU collectively had 10 hits. Zimmerman (5-2, 1 2B), Rochon (5-2, 1 RBI), Bryniarski (2-5, 1 HR, 2 RBI), and Savlato (2-4, 1 RBI) all contributed two hits while Kobar (1-4, 1 RBI) and junior
Logan Heflebower (1-4) each added one.
Sophomore
Cobe Karhoff (2-6) received the loss as he went 4.1 innings as the starter. He struck out two batters and allowed five runs on seven hits.
Up Next for the Rangers: The Rangers will wait to learn if they have earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship.