COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Regis University baseball team completed its season slate of games at UC-Colorado Springs with its seventh doubleheader in a row, falling in the nine-inning opener by a narrow 9-8 margin before winning the seven-inning closer, 14-3, at Mountain Lion Park on Wednesday.

"I felt our team played well all day today," said Regis University Head Baseball Coach Drew LaComb. "We haven't gotten many breaks lately, and it was good to see it all come together in the second game today. We played well in all facets of the game, and Adam Hubley gave us an outstanding performance on the mound. We need to keep this momentum and keep playing well into the weekend."
 
How It Happened | Game 1: Holding onto an 8-7 lead in the bottom of the eighth inning, redshirt sophomore infielder Henry Ryan led off with a solo home run to left field to extend the Mountain Lions' lead to 9-7, which proved to be enough to clinch the win for the home team.
 
The Rangers responded in the top of the ninth with senior outfielder Coby Zimmerman's RBI single through the right side, which scored junior utility player Miguel Marquez from third to make the score a one-run, 9-8 deficit. Unfortunately, that was where the score would stay at game's end. Marquez pinch ran for sophomore infielder Matt Marlow, who singled to center to open the ninth.
 
Regis jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first on redshirt sophomore infielder Colten Chase's two-run home run to left center. This brought home freshman infielder Braxton Boyle, who singled to first.
 
UC-Colorado Springs evened the score, 2-2, in the opening inning's bottom half with graduate infielder Matt McDermott's two-RBI single to left to knock home redshirt sophomore infielder Kiichi Sato from third and redshirt junior outfielder Evan Richards from second. Sato doubled down the right-field line to lead off the inning, and Richards singled to center before stealing second.
 
RU retook the lead in the third on senior outfielder Ryan Tierney's inning-opening solo home run to left center for a 3-2 advantage.
 
However, UCCS answered with McDermott's two-run home run to left center, bringing home Richards from first in the process for a go-ahead, 4-3 lead in the latter half of the third. Richards reached first on a fielder's choice.
 
The Rangers last took the lead in the fourth, 5-4, on Tierney's RBI single to shortstop, which preceded a throwing error that allowed senior infielder Brevin Owen to cross home plate from third. Owen singled through the right side three batters earlier.
 
The Mountain Lions reclaimed the lead in the fourth inning's bottom half on redshirt sophomore catcher Michael Bennin's two-run home run to left and scored redshirt junior outfielder Aaron Faragallah, who singled through the right side, from first.
 
Regis last added to its run tally before the ninth inning on Boyle's RBI sacrifice fly to center with the bases loaded in the eighth, which gave Zimmerman enough time to tag from third and score to bring RU within a run of UC-Colorado Springs, 8-7. Zimmerman opened the eighth with a single up the middle.
 
Game Notes: Tierney opened the day with a 3-for-4 showing, including the home run, which yielded the scored run and two RBI. Boyle also had a 3-for-4 performance and scored a run to go along with an RBI. Zimmerman posted a 2-for-4 outcome, scored a run, and had two RBI. Chase turned in a 2-for-5 result with the bat, including the home run, and additionally scored a run and recorded two RBI. Senior utility player Thomas Alexander pitched 6.0 innings in which he struck out six while allowing seven runs and nine hits.
 
How It Happened | Game 2: With the Rangers leading by a score of 3-0 in the second, Regis took advantage of a fielding error on Chase's RBI-producing at-bat, resulting in freshman outfielder Levi Padilla scoring from third for RU's 4-0 advantage. Padilla singled to center two batters prior, and it was his run that was the eventual game winner.
 
UCCS ended the shutout in the fourth, 4-1, on redshirt sophomore catcher Ryan Schmidt's solo home run to right center.
 
Not to be outdone, the Rangers countered this run with Marlow's two-run home run down the left-field line in the fifth that took home Chase, who singled to third to open the inning, from first while giving Regis a 6-1 lead. These runs marked the first two of six for RU in the fifth.
 
After the Rangers held a 10-1 lead, the Mountain Lions tacked on one more run on McDermott's RBI single through the left side to score redshirt junior outfielder Walker Rumsey from second to trim Regis's lead to 10-2 in the fifth.
 
RU extended its lead by four in the seventh with the last two of these runs coming off of Marlow's two-RBI at-bat that resulted in a fielding error. This allowed Marquez to score from second and Chase to score from first for a 14-2 advantage. Marquez pinch ran for Boyle, who was hit by a pitch, and Chase walked.
 
UC-Colorado Springs managed to score a run in the bottom of the seventh, 14-3, on redshirt senior infielder Jake Anderson's solo home run to left, which was the game's final run.
 
The Rangers wasted little time in getting runs on the board in the doubleheader closer. Senior outfielder Kyle Koontz drilled a two-RBI single up the middle with the bases loaded to score Padilla and Chase from third and second, respectively, for a quick 2-0 lead. Padilla had a game-opening single to right center before stealing second, and Chase singled prior to reaching second on an error.
 
Regis's lead reached a 3-0 margin later in the first when Marlow touched home on senior catcher JT Stanley's RBI fielder's choice when the bases were loaded. Marlow walked to get on base.
 
Game Notes: Koontz registered a 3-for-4 closer, including two doubles, to go along with a run scored and two RBI. Padilla accumulated a 3-for-5 performance in which he scored two runs, had one RBI, and stole a base. Chase capped the day with a 2-for-4 showing, scored a game-high three runs, had one RBI, and drew one walk. Zimmerman tabulated a 2-for-3 outcome, scored a run, and drew a walk. Marlow closed the doubleheader on a 1-for-4 effort in which he scored two runs, hit a game-high four RBI, and walked once. Senior pitcher Adam Hubley threw a complete game in which he struck out five while allowing three runs, 10 hits, and three walks.
 
Up Next for the Rangers: RU moves to an 18-16 record overall and a 14-16 record in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) play. The Rangers return home to begin their final homestand of the 2021 season against New Mexico Highlands (12-22, 10-20 RMAC) at Regis Baseball Field on Thursday at 3 p.m.