DENVER – The Regis University baseball team received a test of will in its 2020 season home opener, defeating Northern State, 12-8, on a sunny afternoon at Regis Baseball Field on Friday.
 
How It Happened: Midway through an eventual six-run seventh inning with the game knotted up at 7-7, senior outfielder Coby Zimmerman belted a home run to left center with junior outfielder Kyle Koontz on first to give the Rangers a go-ahead, 9-7 lead, which put the game out of the way of the Wolves. 
 
Regis doubled its lead before the seventh ended. Junior catcher Roger Riley singled to right field, and redshirt freshman infielder Colten Chase scored from second, after an error, to grow the lead to 10-7. Riley reached third on a balk and came home for an 11-7 advantage on redshirt sophomore outfielder McKay Banks's RBI single to center.
 
Northern State minimally trimmed its deficit, 11-8, when senior outfielder Chad Hinkle doubled to right center, which allowed redshirt senior catcher Hayden Houts to score from first. Houts reached base on a fielding error.
 
RU tacked on one more run in the eighth on junior infielder Brevin Owen's solo home run to right field to bring the contest to its final result.
 
NSU broke the scoreless tie in the top of the third on a Hinkle double to right center that brought Houts, who singled up the middle, home from first for a 1-0 lead. Hinkle later advanced to third on a wild pitch and doubled the lead to 2-0 by scoring on redshirt freshman shortstop Jack Paulson's RBI single to right field.
 
The Rangers awoke from their offensive drought to start the game in the fifth. A timely throwing error with the bases loaded allowed freshman infielder Matt Marlow to reach first, while Zimmerman scored from third to cut the Regis deficit in half, 2-1. Zimmerman walked four batters earlier to reach base. 
 
With the bases still loaded, Owen gave RU the lead, 3-2, when he doubled down the right-field line to score both Chase and Riley from third and second, respectively. Chase singled to the pitcher on a bunt, and Riley walked on the next at-bat to load the bases. This capped the first of seven consecutive half-innings in which at least one run scored.
 
The Rangers' initial lead was short-lived though as Wolves redshirt sophomore shortstop Isaiah Chevalier's RBI triple tied the game, 3-3, scoring redshirt freshman infielder Mitchell Tolk from first after his walk. 
Northern State regained the lead, 5-3, on Houts's two-run home run to right field with Chevalier at third.
 
Regis tied the game in the sixth inning's bottom half. Following freshman infielder Austin Vaught's frame-opening single to right, Koontz's triple to right center allowed Vaught to score for a slim, 5-4 deficit. Koontz would later tie the game, 5-5, on Chase's double down the left-field line.
 
NSU would break the tie in the seventh, 7-5, with two runs scoring after Tolk's infield RBI, followed by a throwing error. Paulson scored on the initial play, while junior outfielder Connor Burgess scored from third after the throwing error. Both Paulson and Burgess walked and were both in scoring position after a balk.
 
The game's all-important final lead change took place in the latter half of the seventh. Owen started things off by scoring on a wild pitch from third, 7-6, which also allowed Vaught to advance to second. 
 
Vaught then tied the game, 7-7, on Koontz's RBI single to right center. Vaught made it to first on a fielder's choice. Koontz was on-base for Zimmerman's aforementioned eventual game-winning home run.
 
Game Notes: Owen and Chase both turned in 3-for-4 performances at the plate, and both scored two runs. Owen also had a game-high three RBI, including those off of a home run and a double, as well as a walk, while Chase recorded one RBI on his double. Koontz went 2-for-4, including a triple, scored two runs, and had two RBI. Zimmerman turned in a 1-for-3 showing, including the eventual game-winning home run, and had two runs scored, two RBI, and a walk. Riley had a 1-for-4 day in addition to two runs scored, one RBI, and one walk. Senior pitcher Jordon Wyke (1-0) earned the win in his 0.2 innings of work in which he gave up no runs, no hits, no walks, and struck out one. Freshman pitcher Porter Hardcastle started the game and threw 4.0 innings in which he allowed two runs, eight hits, and three walks, while striking out three.
 
Up Next for the Rangers: RU improves to a 5-6 record overall. The Rangers continue their four-game series with the Wolves (0-3) at Regis Baseball Field in a Saturday doubleheader, which will start with the opener at noon and will be followed by the doubleheader closer shortly after the conclusion of the first game.