University of Northern Colorado Athletics
University of Northern Colorado
2-1
Colorado Christian University
1-2
NC runs past CCU for second straight win
2/21/2021 6:14:00 PM | Baseball
LAKEWOOD, Colo. – Fifteen innings yesterday, 17 runs today. Northern Colorado hot bats allowed UNC to run by Colorado Christian, 17-10, for its second win of the season.
The Bears wasted little time pushing runs across the plate. Each of the first three UNC batters reached safely, setting up a Josh Glenn sac fly and a Matt Burkart RBI double that gave Northern Colorado the quick 2-0 advantage.
Oral Roberts transfer Jacob Salim started his first game in the Blue and Gold. The right-hander cruised through his first two innings, striking out three. In his three innings of work, Salim only surrendered two runs, none of them earned.
Before the Cougars hopped on the board in the third, Johnny Graham's two-RBI single gave the Bears a four-run cushion.
Defensive problems arose in the fourth. CCU capitalized on UNC's second error of the day, scoring six runs on five hits.
The home side's lead wouldn't last for long, though.
Matt Burkart launched a solo shot to right field to lead off the fifth. Four more Bear baserunners would cross home plate via a Jake Gitter walk and singles from Sam Leach and Josh Glenn.
The Bears' catcher finished 1-2 with three RBI and a walk.
Northern Colorado threw up another crooked number in the sixth. Quinn Ayer's first double of the season ignited another five-run inning, that ballooned UNC's lead to 14-8.
By the time Gitter came back to the dish in the seventh, Ayers had tacked on another run. Gitter wasn't about to let off the gas, though, homering to right once more to make it 17-8.
Though the Cougars rallied for two runs in the bottom half of the seventh, the damage had already been done. With light fading, the game was called after Cooper Rust forced the final groundout, giving the Bears its second win of the season.
What They Said
Head Coach, Carl Iwasaki
"It was a series win and we'll take it. First weekend out, with 27 innings played, we've got plenty of learning to do. Iain Isdale coming in and putting a shut down to the Cougars after the big fourth inning was huge.
"Our guys have great resolve and we don't have any quit in us. I knew that we were going to make a comeback, it was just a matter of getting ourselves reset. I think the team is set up to be that kind of resilient club this year. We're looking forward to welcoming in South Dakota State next week."
Stat of the Day
The pitching committee of Jacob Salim, Joe Mazzetti, Daylon Matthews, Iain Isdale and Cooper Rust combined for 13 strikeouts against CCU.
Game Notes
- Iain Isdale picked up his first win of the season.
- Jake Gitter tallied his third home run of the young season, raising his slugging percentage to 1.333.
- Lincoln Turner was exactly what coach Iwasaki would want in a lead-off hitter, going 1-3 with two walks and three runs scored.
- Three Bears (Jake Gitter, Matt Burkart and Quinn Ayers) each recorded three RBI on the afternoon.
What's Ahead
Northern Colorado welcomes in future Summit League foe South Dakota State to Jackson Field for a four-game set, begging on Friday, February 26.
To stay up to date on all things UNC baseball, visit UNCBears.com and follow the team on Facebook and Twitter.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Isdale, Iain (1-0)
L: McCollum (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Leach, Sam 1 ; Burkart, Matt 1 ; Moreland, Billy 2 ; Ayers , Quinn 1
HR: Gitter, Jake 1 ; Burkart, Matt 1
RBI: Gitter, Jake 3 ; Leach, Sam 2 ; Glenn, Josh 3 ; Burkart, Matt 2 ; Graham , Johnny 2 ; Ayers , Quinn 3
SF: Glenn, Josh 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Turner, Lincoln 3 ; Heinze, Hayden 1 ; Gitter, Jake 3 ; Leach, Sam 2 ; Burkart, Matt 1 ; Graham , Johnny 1 ; Moreland, Billy 2 ; McKay, Ben 2 ; Ayers , Quinn 2
SB: Turner, Lincoln 1 ; Moreland, Billy 2
PO: McKay, Ben 1
Batting:
2B: J. Medina 1 ; Shearn III 1
3B: Ludwig 1
HR: Gallegos 1
RBI: J. Medina 1 ; Gallegos 2 ; Ludwig 1 ; Shearn III 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Walton 1 ; Mattey 1 ; Marschall 1 ; Gallegos 1 ; Orr 2 ; Ludwig 2 ; Shearn III 2
SB: Mattey 1 ; Ludwig 1
CS: Gallegos 1
