University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Friday, May 11
Greeley, Colo.
3 p.m.
University of Northern Colorado
27-21, 10-12
9
vs
5
CSU Bakersfield
17-31, 7-12
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
CSU Bakersfield
1
0
2
1
0
0
0
1
0
5
13
0
Northern Colorado
1
0
0
0
1
3
3
1
X
9
14
2
Recap: @NCBearsBaseball Stays Hot With Longball over CSU Bakersfield
5/11/2018 8:43:00 PM | Baseball
Northern Colorado baseball let it fly on Friday in defeating CSU Bakersfield 9-5 Friday
GREELEY, Colo. – Northern Colorado baseball used the long ball to earn the comeback win over CSU Bakersfield on Friday afternoon 9-5. The Bears had a pair of two-run home runs and a solo shot in the game. UNC improves to 27-21 overall and 10-12 in Western Athletic Conference play.
How It Happened
CSU Bakersfield scored first when Jake Ortega hit a chopper to leadoff the game and advanced to third on a pair of groundouts. A wild pitch from UNC starter Karver Pate brought home the first run of the game to make it 1-0.
Matt Burkart hit a two-out single to extend the bottom of the first for UNC. He was brought home when Jack Pauley crushed a ball to dead center off the wall for a triple evening the game at one.
A pair of singles through the infield by CSUB to start the third inning put pressure on the Bears. A well-executed sacrifice bunt then sac fly scored the first run of the inning. The second run scored with a single to right making it 3-1. In the fourth, a solo homer for the Roadrunners extended their lead to 4-1.
UNC looked to be in more trouble in both the fifth and sixth inning with two on and no outs and then the bases loaded with no outs. Both times UNC ended the inning with 4-6-3 double plays, not allowing any runs to score.
The Bears bats started to warm up in the fifth with a run to make 4-2 before they really got going in the sixth. Alex Kiel and Brett Minnick hit back-to-back doubles with one out in the sixth to cut the lead to 4-3. Following the consecutive extra-base hits, Tyler Yamaguchi unloaded with a two-run home run to give UNC its first lead at 5-4.
Northern Colorado added to its lead with another three-run inning in the seventh, all coming with two outs. Cole Maltese walked to start the rally and scored on a bloop double by Evan Johnson. With EJ on base, Alex Kiel turned on a fastball and sent it over the left-center wall to extend the Bears lead to 8-4. The home run came just before a 30-minute rain delay came.
CSUB cut the lead back to three in the eighth, but Austin Miller increased it back to four with a solo homer in the bottom half of the inning. Connor Leedholm pitched the final two innings of the game to secure the Bears fourth straight win.
Game Changer
Tyler Yamaguchi was a part of both UNC's 4-6-3 double plays and then delivered the go-ahead run with his two-run homer to left field. The home run was Yamaguchi's lone hit of the game, but it was a big one in his 1-for-4 day.
Game Notes
- Eight of the nine UNC starters recorded a hit in the game on Friday. The lone Bear not to was Cole Maltese, but he reached base by walk twice.
- Five Bears ended the game with multiple hits, led by Matt Burkart's three. He went 3-for-4 with a run scored and a walk.
- The six-seven-eight hole hitters of Johnson, Kiel and Minnick went a combined 6-for-13 with four runs scored and four RBI. They each hit a double and Kiel added on a home run.
- Justin Mulvaney had another strong middle relief outing for UNC on Friday, going 3.0 innings allowing no runs on three hits while striking out a pair. His biggest contribution was inducing the pair of key double play balls in the fifth and sixth.
What's Ahead?
Northern Colorado and CSU Bakersfield square off in game two of the series on Saturday at 2 pm. The Bears have a chance to clinch a berth in the WAC Tournament tomorrow with a win AND a UT Rio Grande Valley loss to Chicago State AND Utah Valley dropping one in its doubleheader against Seattle.
UNC will send RHP Troy Watson (3-2, 3.46 ERA) to the mound while CSUB sends RHP Davonte Butler (2-6, 5.06 ERA). The game will be streamed on Pluto TV.
To stay up to date on all things UNC baseball, visit UNCBears.com and follow the team on Twitter at @NCBearsBaseball.
How It Happened
CSU Bakersfield scored first when Jake Ortega hit a chopper to leadoff the game and advanced to third on a pair of groundouts. A wild pitch from UNC starter Karver Pate brought home the first run of the game to make it 1-0.
Matt Burkart hit a two-out single to extend the bottom of the first for UNC. He was brought home when Jack Pauley crushed a ball to dead center off the wall for a triple evening the game at one.
A pair of singles through the infield by CSUB to start the third inning put pressure on the Bears. A well-executed sacrifice bunt then sac fly scored the first run of the inning. The second run scored with a single to right making it 3-1. In the fourth, a solo homer for the Roadrunners extended their lead to 4-1.
UNC looked to be in more trouble in both the fifth and sixth inning with two on and no outs and then the bases loaded with no outs. Both times UNC ended the inning with 4-6-3 double plays, not allowing any runs to score.
The Bears bats started to warm up in the fifth with a run to make 4-2 before they really got going in the sixth. Alex Kiel and Brett Minnick hit back-to-back doubles with one out in the sixth to cut the lead to 4-3. Following the consecutive extra-base hits, Tyler Yamaguchi unloaded with a two-run home run to give UNC its first lead at 5-4.
Northern Colorado added to its lead with another three-run inning in the seventh, all coming with two outs. Cole Maltese walked to start the rally and scored on a bloop double by Evan Johnson. With EJ on base, Alex Kiel turned on a fastball and sent it over the left-center wall to extend the Bears lead to 8-4. The home run came just before a 30-minute rain delay came.
CSUB cut the lead back to three in the eighth, but Austin Miller increased it back to four with a solo homer in the bottom half of the inning. Connor Leedholm pitched the final two innings of the game to secure the Bears fourth straight win.
Game Changer
Tyler Yamaguchi was a part of both UNC's 4-6-3 double plays and then delivered the go-ahead run with his two-run homer to left field. The home run was Yamaguchi's lone hit of the game, but it was a big one in his 1-for-4 day.
Game Notes
- Eight of the nine UNC starters recorded a hit in the game on Friday. The lone Bear not to was Cole Maltese, but he reached base by walk twice.
- Five Bears ended the game with multiple hits, led by Matt Burkart's three. He went 3-for-4 with a run scored and a walk.
- The six-seven-eight hole hitters of Johnson, Kiel and Minnick went a combined 6-for-13 with four runs scored and four RBI. They each hit a double and Kiel added on a home run.
- Justin Mulvaney had another strong middle relief outing for UNC on Friday, going 3.0 innings allowing no runs on three hits while striking out a pair. His biggest contribution was inducing the pair of key double play balls in the fifth and sixth.
What's Ahead?
Northern Colorado and CSU Bakersfield square off in game two of the series on Saturday at 2 pm. The Bears have a chance to clinch a berth in the WAC Tournament tomorrow with a win AND a UT Rio Grande Valley loss to Chicago State AND Utah Valley dropping one in its doubleheader against Seattle.
UNC will send RHP Troy Watson (3-2, 3.46 ERA) to the mound while CSUB sends RHP Davonte Butler (2-6, 5.06 ERA). The game will be streamed on Pluto TV.
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: Mulvaney, Justin (2-1)
L: Daily, Alec (4-3)
Batting:
2B: Koch, Ryan 1
HR: Robles, Sergio 1
RBI: Ortega, Jake 1 ; Penner, Andrew 1 ; Koch, Ryan 1 ; Robles, Sergio 1
SH: Barba, Noah 1
SF: Penner, Andrew 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Ortega, Jake 2 ; Berkey, Evan 1 ; Robles, Sergio 1 ; Carrizosa, Daniel 1
Batting:
2B: Lawson, Dean 1 ; Johnson, Evan 1 ; Kiel, Alex 1 ; Minnick, Brett 1
3B: Pauley, Jack 1
HR: Miller, Austin 1 ; Kiel, Alex 1 ; Yamaguchi, Tyler 1
RBI: Miller, Austin 1 ; Pauley, Jack 2 ; Johnson, Evan 1 ; Kiel, Alex 2 ; Minnick, Brett 1 ; Yamaguchi, Tyler 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Miller, Austin 1 ; Lawson, Dean 1 ; Burkart, Matt 1 ; Maltese, Cole 1 ; Johnson, Evan 1 ; Kiel, Alex 2 ; Minnick, Brett 1 ; Yamaguchi, Tyler 1
SB: Burkart, Matt 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
1
H
3
RBI
0
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
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