University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Monday, February 26
Greeley, Colo.
12 pm
University of Northern Colorado
4-3
18
vs
6
Montana State University Billings
5-5
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Montana St Billings
3
0
1
2
0
0
0
0
0
6
13
1
Northern Colorado
11
0
1
2
0
0
4
0
X
18
13
1
Recap: Leedholm With a Home Run & Win as @NCBearsBaseball Wins Series Over MSU Billings
2/26/2018 6:46:00 PM | Baseball
Northern Colorado's Connor Leedholm earned the win and hit a home run in UNC's 18-6 win
GREELEY, Colo. – Northern Colorado baseball exploded for 11 runs in the first inning of an 18-6 win over Montana State Billings Monday afternoon. The Bears (4-3) earned the series win 2-1 over the Yellowjackets (5-5) with the win on Monday.
How It Happened
The first inning of the ballgame lasted 53 minutes and saw 14 runs scored between the two team. MSU Billings jumped out to a 3-0 lead on a Ryan Meyer's three-run home run in the inning, but UNC's offense battled back with vengeance.
The first three Bears reached safely without a hit via a hit by pitch and pair of walks. Jack Pauley drove home the first run of the game with a well-hit single to right field scoring Austin Miller. Brett Minnick delivered the first big hit of the game when he launched a three-run homer over the center field wall to put UNC up 4-3.
The Bears offense kept on clicking, batting through the lineup on their way to score 11 runs on six hits. Northern Colorado showed patients at the plate, earning six walks in the inning. Cole Maltese hit a home run in the inning as well, his also of the three-run variety.
With the game well in control following the 11-run first, UNC saw MSUB try and chip away at the lead, scoring a run in the third and two more off a Jalen Garcia two-run home run.
Leading 12-6 in the bottom of the fourth, and an injury causing the Bears to make a lineup change in which made the pitcher an eligible batter. Dean Lawson, extended the inning for the team with a two-out single to bring Connor Leedholm up to the plate. The redshirt senior made his first career at-bat a memorable one as he took the 2-2 pitch and sent it over the left field wall, bringing joy and excitement throughout the UNC dugout.
Northern Colorado tacked on four runs in the seventh for good measure to lead to the 18-6 victory.
In Their Words
Carl Iwasaki
Overall thoughts on the weekend
"This is a good team. We still do not know our potential, but if we can battle both when up and down eleven we are going to be good. This team's theme is battling pitch to pitch. We are going to be a team that competes no matter what every game"
About the early offense
"The guys showed up today focused and a little hurt after the second game yesterday. Hitting can come and go. Just like last week at San Jose State when it's hot it's great, but when it's gone you still have to pitch and field."
Watching Connor Leedholm hit the home run
"It was a lot of fun. We do not intend for our center fielder to go down with an injury and have to have our pitcher hit. Dean Lawson did a good job of extending the inning with a two-out hit and allowed Connor Leedholm to come up to bat. Without Lawson reaching you never know if Leedholm would have batted. He said 'he was ready to go and to show everyone he can hit' when we asked him after the game."
Brett Minnick
Thoughts on earning the series win
"It feels good to get the series win. Yesterday was a little disappointing, but we came back today and our offense showed out and the bullpen pitched well."
About the offense's performance
"We know that's what our offense is capable of. It probably won't happen every game, but we have set the bar and will try and meet it every game."
Connor Leedholm
About his at-bat and hitting the home run
"I had been waiting to get an at-bat for five years. It's always been a joke, but the pitching position coming up to bat comes up once in a blue moon. I just wanted to have a good at-bat and not strikeout like everyone was joking with me about. I didn't think it was a no-doubter off the bat. I thought there was no chance I was just hustling down the first base line when I heard everyone going crazy.
Game Changer
Connor Leedholm had a big day at the ballpark for Northern Colorado. He recorded his first career at-bat and turned it into a home run. He also earned the win in the game for his 2.1 innings pitched allowing just one hit and striking out three.
Stat to Know
Northern Colorado and Montana State Billings each recorded 13 hits in the game, but it was free passes that were key in the game. UNC drew 13 walks while being hit by a pitch three times. Those 16 free bases helped kept innings goings and pressure on the MSUB pitchers. Meanwhile, MSUB walked just twice.
Game Notes
- Brett Minnick had a big day at the plate for UNC, going 3-for-5 with four RBI and two runs scored. He also walked once.
- Evan Johnson led Northern Colorado with three walks in the game. He was officially 1-for-2 at the plate with a double and four runs scored.
- Junior Corey Nakakura returned to the mound for the Bears after sitting out last season with a torn UCL. Nakakura had an impressive inning going three up, three down with a walk.
What's Ahead?
Northern Colorado stays at home this upcoming weekend, with North Dakota State coming to town. The Bears and Bison start the four-game series on Friday at 2 pm. The teams will then play a doubleheader on Saturday starting at noon, before the closing the series Sunday at 12 pm. All UNC baseball games are free to attend.
To stay up to date on all things UNC baseball, visit UNCBears.com and follow the team on Twitter at @NCBearsBaseball.
How It Happened
The first inning of the ballgame lasted 53 minutes and saw 14 runs scored between the two team. MSU Billings jumped out to a 3-0 lead on a Ryan Meyer's three-run home run in the inning, but UNC's offense battled back with vengeance.
The first three Bears reached safely without a hit via a hit by pitch and pair of walks. Jack Pauley drove home the first run of the game with a well-hit single to right field scoring Austin Miller. Brett Minnick delivered the first big hit of the game when he launched a three-run homer over the center field wall to put UNC up 4-3.
The Bears offense kept on clicking, batting through the lineup on their way to score 11 runs on six hits. Northern Colorado showed patients at the plate, earning six walks in the inning. Cole Maltese hit a home run in the inning as well, his also of the three-run variety.
With the game well in control following the 11-run first, UNC saw MSUB try and chip away at the lead, scoring a run in the third and two more off a Jalen Garcia two-run home run.
Leading 12-6 in the bottom of the fourth, and an injury causing the Bears to make a lineup change in which made the pitcher an eligible batter. Dean Lawson, extended the inning for the team with a two-out single to bring Connor Leedholm up to the plate. The redshirt senior made his first career at-bat a memorable one as he took the 2-2 pitch and sent it over the left field wall, bringing joy and excitement throughout the UNC dugout.
Northern Colorado tacked on four runs in the seventh for good measure to lead to the 18-6 victory.
In Their Words
Carl Iwasaki
Overall thoughts on the weekend
"This is a good team. We still do not know our potential, but if we can battle both when up and down eleven we are going to be good. This team's theme is battling pitch to pitch. We are going to be a team that competes no matter what every game"
About the early offense
"The guys showed up today focused and a little hurt after the second game yesterday. Hitting can come and go. Just like last week at San Jose State when it's hot it's great, but when it's gone you still have to pitch and field."
Watching Connor Leedholm hit the home run
"It was a lot of fun. We do not intend for our center fielder to go down with an injury and have to have our pitcher hit. Dean Lawson did a good job of extending the inning with a two-out hit and allowed Connor Leedholm to come up to bat. Without Lawson reaching you never know if Leedholm would have batted. He said 'he was ready to go and to show everyone he can hit' when we asked him after the game."
Brett Minnick
Thoughts on earning the series win
"It feels good to get the series win. Yesterday was a little disappointing, but we came back today and our offense showed out and the bullpen pitched well."
About the offense's performance
"We know that's what our offense is capable of. It probably won't happen every game, but we have set the bar and will try and meet it every game."
Connor Leedholm
About his at-bat and hitting the home run
"I had been waiting to get an at-bat for five years. It's always been a joke, but the pitching position coming up to bat comes up once in a blue moon. I just wanted to have a good at-bat and not strikeout like everyone was joking with me about. I didn't think it was a no-doubter off the bat. I thought there was no chance I was just hustling down the first base line when I heard everyone going crazy.
Game Changer
Connor Leedholm had a big day at the ballpark for Northern Colorado. He recorded his first career at-bat and turned it into a home run. He also earned the win in the game for his 2.1 innings pitched allowing just one hit and striking out three.
Stat to Know
Northern Colorado and Montana State Billings each recorded 13 hits in the game, but it was free passes that were key in the game. UNC drew 13 walks while being hit by a pitch three times. Those 16 free bases helped kept innings goings and pressure on the MSUB pitchers. Meanwhile, MSUB walked just twice.
Game Notes
- Brett Minnick had a big day at the plate for UNC, going 3-for-5 with four RBI and two runs scored. He also walked once.
- Evan Johnson led Northern Colorado with three walks in the game. He was officially 1-for-2 at the plate with a double and four runs scored.
- Junior Corey Nakakura returned to the mound for the Bears after sitting out last season with a torn UCL. Nakakura had an impressive inning going three up, three down with a walk.
What's Ahead?
Northern Colorado stays at home this upcoming weekend, with North Dakota State coming to town. The Bears and Bison start the four-game series on Friday at 2 pm. The teams will then play a doubleheader on Saturday starting at noon, before the closing the series Sunday at 12 pm. All UNC baseball games are free to attend.
To stay up to date on all things UNC baseball, visit UNCBears.com and follow the team on Twitter at @NCBearsBaseball.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Leedholm, Connor (1-0)
L: Tanner Cantwell (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Jalen Garcia 1 ; Ryan Hansen 1
HR: Jalen Garcia 1 ; Ryan Myers 1
RBI: Jalen Garcia 2 ; Ryan Myers 3 ; Matt Dillon 1
SF: Matt Dillon 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kade Hall 1 ; Landon Peterson 1 ; Jalen Garcia 2 ; Ryan Myers 1 ; Hayden Humphrey 1
HBP: Chase Teter 1 ; Matt Dillon 1
Batting:
2B: Johnson, Evan 1 ; Lawson, Dean 1
3B: Burkart, Matt 1
HR: Leedholm, Connor 1 ; Maltese, Cole 1 ; Minnick, Brett 1
RBI: Miller, Austin 1 ; Leedholm, Connor 2 ; Oblas, Jake 1 ; Maltese, Cole 3 ; Pauley, Jack 1 ; Minnick, Brett 4 ; Burkart, Matt 3 ; Yamaguchi, Tyler 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Miller, Austin 2 ; Leedholm, Connor 1 ; Maltese, Cole 1 ; Johnson, Evan 4 ; Pauley, Jack 1 ; Minnick, Brett 2 ; Burkart, Matt 2 ; Yamaguchi, Tyler 2 ; Kiel, Alex 1 ; Lawson, Dean 2
SB: Johnson, Evan 1
CS: Minnick, Brett 1 ; Burkart, Matt 1
HBP: Miller, Austin 1 ; Yamaguchi, Tyler 1 ; Lawson, Dean 2
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
5
R
2
H
3
RBI
4
lf/cf
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
3
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
AB
1
R
2
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
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