PUEBLO, Colo. – The Regis University baseball team continued its winning ways and clinched a series win by taking both halves of a doubleheader over CSU Pueblo by scores of 11-3 and 9-6 at Rawlings Field on Saturday.
 
Game 1 | How It Happened: With a 3-1 lead in the top of the third inning, Rangers senior outfielder Kyle Koontz belted a home run to left center to open the inning to extend the Regis lead to 4-1, which was all RU needed to seal the doubleheader opener.
 
Sophomore infielder Matt Marlow singled left in the next at-bat and advanced to second base on an error. He later scored on a wild pitch for a Rangers' 5-1 advantage.
 
Senior outfielder Coby Zimmerman reached on an error after Marlow's single. Senior infielder Mitch Albin then hit an RBI single through the right side to knock home Zimmerman, who was on third after wild pitches sent him to both second and third. Zimmerman's run gave Regis a 6-1 lead.
 
Junior infielder Aidan Welch of the ThunderWolves shrank the RU lead in the third, 6-2, when he hit an RBI groundout to shortstop that allowed freshman outfielder Marco Martin, who had an inning-opening walk, to score from third.
 
The Rangers last added to their run total in the seventh. Maintaining a comfortable 9-2 lead, Albin had a two-RBI single through the right side and reached second on the throw. Albin's single brought home Zimmerman from third and redshirt junior outfielder McKay Banks from second for an 11-2 Regis lead. Zimmerman singled to third, and Banks doubled to left in back-to-back at-bats.
 
The game's final run came in the seventh's bottom half when junior first baseman Adrian Campos hit a solo home run to right, taking the game to its final score of 11-3.
 
RU took an early 1-0 lead in the first on Marlow's double to left, which scored Koontz from first. Koontz reached base on a hit-by-pitch.
 
CSU Pueblo evened the score, 1-1, in the opening inning's bottom half when junior third baseman Ty Lewis singled to right and scored senior infielder Kodee Martin from second. Kodee Martin singled to left center to start the inning and stole second.
 
Banks and Albin were both hit by pitches and scored in the second inning. Banks scored from third on a passed ball, and Albin scored on a wild pitch from third. Albin's run gave the Rangers a 3-1 lead.
 
Game Notes: Marlow began the day with a 3-for-4 performance in which he scored a run and had two RBI. Koontz had a 2-for-3 showing in the opener, scoring a game-high three runs and recording two RBI. Albin turned in a 2-for-3 outcome at the plate, scored a run, and had a game-high three RBI. Banks finished with a 1-for-3 result and scored two runs. Zimmerman ended the opener with a 1-for-4 figure and scored a pair of runs. Senior catcher Roger Riley had a 1-for-2 margin with the bat, including a home run to left in the sixth, in addition to one run scored, one RBI, and one walk. Senior utility player Thomas Alexander (2-0) pitched a complete game in the opener for the win, giving up three runs, five hits, and three walks while striking out three.
 
Game 2 | How It Happened: Holding onto a 6-4 lead in the top of the fifth, senior outfielder Andy Beyene scored from third while his teammate was picked off. This gave Regis a 7-4 lead, which proved to be just enough to outlast CSUP in the doubleheader closer. Beyene pinch hit and singled to left to lead the inning off.
 
Riley cushioned the lead, 8-4, with an RBI single to right in the sixth, and this allowed Koontz to score from second. Koontz made it to first on a fielder's choice.
 
Redshirt sophomore infielder Colten Chase hit in RU's last run in the seventh on an RBI single to center. Senior catcher JT Stanley, who was at second, scored on Chase's hit for the Rangers' 9-4 advantage. Stanley led off the inning and doubled to center.
 
The ThunderWolves did not give up though. Welch singled to center to bring home Kodee Martin from third and Lewis from second for a 9-6 deficit, the eventual final score. Kodee Martin walked before Lewis doubled to left.
 
Regis started its strong offense early en route to a five-run first. Marlow singled to left to end the scoreless tie in the first. This single allowed Chase, who walked to open the contest, to score from second after he stole the base for a swift 1-0 lead.
 
With the bases loaded, sophomore infielder Alec Adolph singled up the middle to increase the lead by two, 3-0, with Koontz touching home from third as well as Marlow scoring from second. Koontz walked right before Marlow's at-bat.
 
Albin then connected a two-RBI double to right center to score senior outfielder Ryan Tierney and Adolph from second and first, respectively, for a considerable 5-0 RU lead. Tierney reached base on a single to third that put Marlow at second and Koontz at third to load the bases.
 
Banks added another run in the second, 6-0, when he traveled home from third on a wild pitch. He commenced the inning with a double to center and stole third.
 
CSU Pueblo mounted a threat to the Rangers' lead in a pair of middle innings, including a three-run third. This began with a Campos solo home run to right to open the inning, which preceded junior shortstop Trey Vasquez's triple down the right-field line and run after a wild pitch. The inning was capped on Welch's RBI single to center, sending home Kodee Martin from second. The trio of runs cut the Regis lead in half, 6-3. Kodee Martin hit a double through the right side to get on base.
 
CSUP came within two runs, 6-4, in the fourth on senior utility player Logan Gibbons' RBI triple to left center that allowed senior catcher Stone Romero to score all the way from first. Romero bunted a single to begin the fourth.
 
Game Notes: Banks ended the day with a 3-for-5 showing at the plate and scored a run. Tierney had a 2-for-4 performance with the bat and also contributed a run. Adolph was all over the stat sheet, recording a 1-for-2 result, scoring one run, knocking in two RBI, and adding one walk. Koontz scored two runs and walked twice. Chase had a 1-for-4 margin offensively, registering one run scored, one RBI, and one walk. Albin and sophomore infielder Austin Vaught both went 1-for-2 at the plate, while Albin had two RBI and Vaught walked once. Both Beyene and Stanley had a 1-for-1 figure at the plate and each scored a run. Riley was also 1-for-1 with the bat and had an RBI. Freshman pitcher Dylan De Leon (2-0) threw 1.1 innings in the win without surrendering a run, hit, or walk. Senior pitcher Adam Hubley started for RU and threw 3.2 innings in which he gave up four runs, six hits, and a walk while fanning five.
 
Up Next for the Rangers: The Rangers improve to a 7-0 record overall, matching their program-record start from the 1993 season. They have a 3-0 record in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) play. Regis closes out its four-game series against the ThunderWolves (2-5, 0-3 RMAC) at Rawlings Field on Sunday at noon.