LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The Regis University baseball team (10-23, 5-15 RMAC) surrendered their third walk-off defeat of the four-game series against New Mexico Highlands University (12-21, 5-15 RMAC) on Sunday afternoon. The Cowboys scored in the bottom of the 11^th inning to win the series finale 9-10.
 
How It Happened: Regis left two runners stranded in the first inning before sending four runners home in the top of the second, all by way of the long ball. Freshman Jacob Barr roped the first pitch of the inning to left-center, resulting in a stand-up double. The next batter up, sophomore Thomas Alexander, had the green light after watching two balls go by him. He sent the third pitch he faced over the left field fence, scoring Barr and himself to give the Rangers a 2-0 edge.
 
RU had one out left in the inning when senior Mickey Meinhofer hit an infield single. Following him was junior Ryan Tierney, who recorded the second two-run homerun of the inning for Regis, giving them a 4-0 lead.
 
The Cowboys then began to slowly chip away at their deficit. They were able to pull within two, 4-2, by scoring one run on one hit in the second inning before adding another run on two hits and an error in the third.
 
In the top of the third, the Rangers left two runners stranded in scoring position, but were able to regain a four-run lead with two more runs in the fourth inning. RU scored both runs before the first out was recorded. Meinhofer led-off the inning with a single to right field, his second hit of the game. He moved to second base when Tierney drew a walk and both base runners were moved into scoring position on a Cowboys' wild pitch.
 
Senior Connor Rochon hit an RBI-single up the middle to score Meinhofer and move Tierney within 90 feet of home plate. Junior Coby Zimmerman followed with a sacrifice fly to center field, allowing Tierney to score and give Regis a 6-2 lead after 3.5 innings of play.
 
The Cowboys, however, laid down five straight singles and a hit by pitch in the bottom of the fourth. Their five hits resulted in three runs before the Rangers could get the first out of the inning. Senior Matt Heibuilt got out of the inning as he struck out a batter and forced a double-play before any further damage was done.
 
Regis trailed for the first time when NMHU scored two runs on two hits in the fifth inning, giving them a 6-7 edge. They did not hold their led for long as the Rangers answered back with two runs of their own in the very next frame. They regained the lead with the help of two hits and two errors.
 
RU created a two-run cushion with one more run in the top of the seventh, making the score 9-7 in their favor. Tierney recorded his third RBI of the game when he sent freshman Ryan Hutchinson home on an RBI-single through the right side. Hutchinson reached base on a full-count, lead-off single to left field.
 
NMHU recorded just one hit in each of the next two innings and were not able to get a runner into scoring position. That trend ended in the bottom of the ninth inning when the Cowboys hit a double to begin the final frame. The Cowboys tied the game at nine a piece with another double and a single, sending the game to extra innings. It was not until the 11^th inning that a team would break through to win. Unfortunately for the Regis, it was the Cowboys that collected their third walk-of win of the series in the bottom of the 11^th inning.
 
Game Notes: The Rangers connected for 17 hits, a single game season high, but they also allowed 19 hits against them. RU had six batters with multiple hits, and it was Hutchinson that led the team in the category. He went 4-for-6 with one double. Rochon went 3-for-5 with two RBI's while Tierney added three RBI's, going 2-for-4 with a homerun.
 
Junior Tyce O'Neill (0-1) was given his first decision of the season after pitching the last 1.1 innings. He allowed one run on two hits and struck out one batter.
 
Up Next for the Rangers: The Regis University baseball team will return home to face the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs on Friday, April 12 at 3 p.m.