University of Northern Colorado Athletics
University of Northern Colorado
5-14, 0
Western Illinois
2-15, 0
Bears Walk Off Western Illinois to ensure series victory
3/19/2022 4:18:00 PM | Baseball
UNC led most of the way before Western Illinois tied it up in the ninth but freshman Jake King walked it off, 14-13, thanks to his red-hot bat and the speed of sophomore Cameron Cromer.
The Leathernecks looked like they were going to threaten to score in the top of the first inning for the second straight day but starting pitcher Iain Isdale and Shaydon Kubo had other plans.
A liner straight to the UNC second baseman allowed Kubo to double up WIU and make sure it was a clean frame.
In the bottom half, the Blue and Gold went right to work. Jake King immediately extended his hit streak to 10 games and a batter later it was Kubo again who would deliver.
A single up the middle turned into the game's first run as the Bears capitalized on a WIU error, placing Kubo on third. He would come home on a wild pitch moments later and all of the sudden, UNC owned a 2-0 lead.
Make it three straight games with a home run for the Hawaiian. Another three-run moonshot stretched Northern Colorado's advantage to 5-0 after the second inning.
On the bump, Isdale was cruising. Despite a small hiccup in the third inning, the left-hander blanked WIU in the first, second and fourth frames.
Kubo's red-hot Saturday continued in the fourth. Doubling down the left-field line, Kubo immediately put himself in scoring position. After Josh Glenn moved him to third, Kubo made it home for the Bears' sixth run on a wild pitch.
King brought back Northern Colorado's home run bonanza in the fifth. Hayden Heinze already pushed a run across with an RBI single. With Heinze and Chase Cromer already on the pond, Jake King went opposite field to left for a three-run shot to double up Western Illinois, 10-5.
Western Illinois made things interesting after five runs in the seventh and three more in the top of the ninth to tie the game.
The Blue and Gold weren't about to let a fourth-straight win slip from their grasp, though.
With one out, Cameron Cromer singled up the middle, putting his dynamic speed on base. A batter later, Cromer would showcase that quickness, reaching third on Heinze's single to centerfield.
In steps Jake King.
He didn't need much to get Cromer home. A grounder to first base gave the speedy shortstop just enough room to slide in under the tag and win the game for the Bears, 14-13.
Game Notes
- Jake King launched his first home run of the year.
- King also extended his hitting streak to 10 games.
- Kubo also notched his third three-hit game of the year.
- Kubo also recorded the Bears' first five-RBI game of the season.
- Shaydon Kubo hit a home run in his third straight game.
- Craig Kenny rocketed his second home run of the season.
- Cade Moeller has reached base safely in 11 straight contests.
One more date with the Leathernecks is on deck for Sunday, March 20 at noon before the Bears head to Utah.
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: Mansur, Ashton (1-1)
L: Chandler Fochs (0-3)
Batting:
2B: Toby Allred 1
HR: Matt Santarelli 1 ; Adam Juran 1 ; Jack Sievers 1 ; Sam Maddox 1
RBI: Kory Olsen 1 ; Matt Santarelli 3 ; Nick Mitchell 1 ; Adam Juran 3 ; Jack Sievers 1 ; Sam Maddox 3
SH: Jack Sievers 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kory Olsen 1 ; Matt Santarelli 2 ; Dillon Sears 1 ; Toby Allred 2 ; Nick Mitchell 1 ; Adam Juran 2 ; Jack Sievers 1 ; Sam Maddox 2 ; Derek Botaletto 1
SB: Kory Olsen 2 ; Matt Santarelli 1 ; Sam Maddox 1
HBP: Kory Olsen 1 ; Toby Allred 1 ; Adam Juran 1 ; Sam Maddox 1
PO: Sam Maddox 2
Batting:
2B: Kubo, Shaydon 1 ; Cromer, Cameron 1 ; Heinze, Hayden 1
HR: King, Jake 1 ; Kubo, Shaydon 1 ; Kenny, Craig 1
RBI: King, Jake 4 ; Kubo, Shaydon 5 ; Kenny, Craig 2 ; Heinze, Hayden 1
SF: Kubo, Shaydon 1
Base Running:
RUNS: King, Jake 2 ; Kubo, Shaydon 3 ; Fisher, Garrett 1 ; Kenny, Craig 2 ; Cromer, Chase 1 ; Cromer, Cameron 2 ; Heinze, Hayden 3
SB: Fisher, Garrett 1 ; Cromer, Cameron 1 ; Heinze, Hayden 1
CS: King, Jake 1
HBP: Moeller, Cade 1
