PUEBLO, Colo. – The Regis University baseball team opened Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) play in its road season opener at Rawlings Field, where the visiting Rangers let the offense loose and kept the pitching solid, defeating CSU Pueblo, 10-5, on Friday.
 
How It Happened: Holding a 5-4 lead in the top of the seventh inning with the bases loaded, Regis sophomore outfielder Andy Beyene grounded out to second base while knocking home senior utility player Thomas Alexander from third to extend the advantage to 6-4. Every run after that proved to be insurance as the ThunderWolves could not overcome the deficit. Alexander walked to open the inning.
 
Three more runs came in the eighth for RU. Alexander hit a sacrifice fly to right field, which allowed senior catcher Roger Riley to score from third for a Rangers' 7-4 lead. Riley had an inning-opening single.
 
This preceded sophomore infielder Matt Marlow's run, 8-4, which occurred when senior outfielder Coby Zimmerman hit an RBI double to left field. Marlow, who scored from second, singled up the middle earlier in the inning and that advanced Riley to third.
 
On the next at-bat, Beyene cleared the bases with a triple to left center, bringing Zimmerman home for Regis's 9-4 lead.
 
An RBI groundout to shortstop by CSU Pueblo senior infielder Kodee Martin brought home sophomore first baseman Reggie Williams to trim the RU lead to 9-5 in the eighth. Williams singled to start the eighth.
 
Reaching base on an error in the ninth, Riley would return the lead back to five, 10-5, when he scored on Marlow's RBI single to left.
 
The Rangers ended the scoreless tie early in the top of the first when Marlow hit a bases-loaded, RBI groundout to third, which scored redshirt sophomore infielder Colten Chase from third for a quick 1-0 lead over CSUP. Chase walked to open the game.
 
The ThunderWolves evened the score, 1-1, in the bottom half of the inning on account of junior outfielder Mike Gonzalez's RBI triple to right center, which scored junior third baseman Ty Lewis from second. Lewis hit a bunt single and later advanced to second.
 
Marlow broke the tie, 2-1, in the third when he scored on redshirt junior outfielder McKay Banks' hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded. Marlow made it on base with a fielder's choice.
 
Alexander, who walked and reached third on the hit-by-pitch, advanced to home on a failed pickoff attempt and made the score in favor of Regis, 3-1.
 
RU extended the lead with the bases loaded, 4-1, when freshman outfielder Levi Padilla pinch hit and had an RBI walk to score Alexander from third.
 
An RBI fielder's choice by freshman infielder Braxton Boyle followed, which allowed Zimmerman to score from third to grow the lead to 5-1. Alexander and Zimmerman each singled to right field and through the right side, respectively, in back-to-back at-bats.
 
CSU Pueblo cut its deficit, 5-2, in the bottom half of the frame when Lewis doubled to left center to score junior infielder Aidan Welch, who walked, all the way from first.
 
However, CSUP's biggest threat came in the sixth with Kodee Martin's right-center RBI triple to score Williams from second for a 5-3 deficit. Williams walked and stole second.
 
That deficit shrank to a run, 5-4, when Kodee Martin reached home on an error while freshman outfielder Marco Martin reached first and eventually second on the same error.
 
Game Notes: Zimmerman had a 2-for-4 day, scoring two runs and hitting in one RBI. Beyene turned in a 2-for-4 performance at the plate and had an RBI. Alexander finished with a 1-for-3 showing and had a game-high three runs scored, one RBI, and two walks. Marlow went 2-for-6 in the opener, scoring two runs and knocking in two RBI. Senior outfielder Kyle Koontz ended the game with a 1-for-3 result with the bat and had a game-high three walks. Riley's 1-for-5 game included two runs scored and a walk, while Chase's 1-for-5 opener included a run scored and a walk. Junior pitcher Justin Kleinsorge (2-0) threw 5.2 innings in which he gave up four runs (two earned), five hits, and five walks while striking out five.
 
Up Next for the Rangers: The Rangers climb to a 5-0 record overall and a 1-0 record in RMAC play. Regis keeps the series going against the ThunderWolves (2-3, 0-1 RMAC) at Rawlings Field during a doubleheader with scheduled start times of noon and 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.