@NCBearsBaseball Uses Jackson Magic With Six-Run Ninth

Sunday, March 26

Greeley, Colo.

12 pm

University of Northern Colorado

11-12, 3-0

Sacramento State

11-11, 0-3

Sacramento State

Northern Colorado

3/26/2017 5:55:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score UNC Game Note WAC Notes

Northern Colorado baseball scored six runs in the ninth to earn the 8-7 comeback win Sunday over Sacramento State

By: Ryan Pfeifer, UNCBears.com

GREELEY – Jackson Magic was in full effect Sunday afternoon at Jackson Field as Northern Colorado scored six in the bottom of the ninth to walk-off on Sacramento State 8-7. The comeback helped the Bears sweep the Hornets to open WAC play.

How It Happened
It was all Sacramento State early on as they loaded the bases in the first scoring a run in that situation. Nick Tanner made a key play to keep the damage to just one in the inning when he caught the fly ball from Tanner Goodrich and then fired home to catch Andrew McWilliam as he tried to tag up on the play to end the inning.

The Hornets offense ended up scoring at least a run in the first four innings to build a 5-0 lead. They then made it 7-0 in the sixth before UNC put a run on the board in the bottom half of the inning.

Evan Johnson doubled down the right field line to begin the rally for UNC. He was later brought home on another double down the line this time by Jack Pauley. The Bears second run of the game came home on Tanner's single.

UNC and Sacramento State would stay at 7-2 going to the bottom of the ninth, when the Bears put its rally together. Nick Tanner began the inning with a single and Alex Kiel doubled to put runners on first and second with no outs. After an infield fly popout, Payton Tapia worked a pinch hit walk to load the bases and put the pressure on Sac State.

Leadoff man, Dean Lawson brought home the first of six runs with a bloop single to center field as the bears moved station to station. The Hornets made a pitching change following that, but it didn't matter as Evan Johnson drove a 2-1 pitch to the deep left center gap to clear the bases, and brought the Bears within one.

With all of the momentum in Northern Colorado's favor and the heart of the order now up, Cole Maltese put runners on the corners with one out. Pauley tied the game with his third double of the day down the right field line, putting the game winning run on third base in Maltese. Sacramento State intentionally walked Brett Minnick to load the bases looking for the force out at any base.

The Hornets once again changed pitcher bringing in Austin Root, and made a defensive substitution in Brent Hunley, to play as a fifth infielder. Tanner, who already singled in the inning wasted no time though, taking a first pitch fastball into left field for the walk-off, game-winning single to complete the comeback.

Game Changer
A comeback of six runs in the ninth inning requires a complete team effort, which is exactly what it was for the Bears, but three UNC players had three hit games each. They were the three players that came up with the biggest hits of the final inning in Nick Tanner, Evan Johnson and Jack Pauley. Two of Tanner's hits came in ninth inning including the game-winner. Meanwhile, Johnson had a pair of doubles with his three RBI, while Pauley's three hits were all doubles.

Notable
- It will go unnoticed in the play by play, but Justin Mulvaney made a huge play to end the top of the ninth grabbing a blocked pitch that got away from Alex Kiel and flipping it home to end the inning as Kiel did a great job blocking the plate to apply the tag keeping the game at 7-2.
- Eleven of Northern Colorado's 14 hits came in the final 3.1 innings of play after Sacramento State starter Max Karnos allowed just three in his six innings of work.
- Along with the UNC trio, two Sac St hitters had three hits as well.
- Freshman Billy Moreland had a strong performance out of the pen for the Bears going 2.1 innings allowing just one hit and a walk while striking out three.

Quotable
Carl Iwasaki
Thoughts on the game
"I just enjoy this team, and it's not even about the talent, it's about the heart they play with. They never say die in a game and that's what you saw today. This club is going to be fun to watch all year long because of that. It was a complete team win today. Nick Tanner has done a great job developing from his freshman year to now, to be in the type of situation he was in today. We still have plenty of work to as a team to improve and not put ourselves in the type of whole we had to comeback from today."

Keeping this momentum going
"Tuesday's practice will be really focused. We can enjoy this one tonight, but we have to come back and get back to working on improving as a team. We didn't have a good start to this week, but had good, tough, focused practice on Wednesday and Thursday and you saw that play factor into this weekend. We will have to have that same type of attitude next week against a tough Grand Canyon ball club."

Evan Johnson
About bases clearing hit
"My mindset was just not to do too much. When you go up in those situations people can press and chase pitches, while I told myself one pitch at a time, and right pitch right spot."

Jack Pauley
On team's confidence against Sacramento State
"After we knocked out Dillon, their ace, on Friday it really helped our confidence all weekend long, and it showed in the ninth today."

Nick Tanner
Mindset on game winning hit
"I was just trying to elevate a pitch that I could hit once when they brought in the fifth infielder, which I was thankfully able to do."

Importance of series sweep
"To be able to sweep Sac State which has been a top team in the WAC for a long time to start conference play is huge. It gives us good momentum going into a series against a good Grand Canyon team next week."

What's Next?
The Bears will hit the road for the first time in WAC play as they take on Grand Canyon next weekend for three games starting Friday.