University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Thursday, May 18
Greeley, Colo.
1 p.m.
University of Northern Colorado
10-33, 7-15
13
vs
3
Omaha
20-25, 8-13
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Omaha
0
0
0
2
0
0
1
3
9
1
Northern Colorado
1
5
0
3
0
4
X
13
14
0
Photo by: Rob Gray/Utah Athletics
Bears Make Quick Work of Mavericks
5/18/2023 6:24:00 PM | Baseball
GREELEY, Colo. -- Junior first baseman Caden Wagner batted a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run and four RBI to help lead the Northern Colorado baseball team to a decisive 13-3 victory over Omaha in seven innings on Thursday afternoon. The 13 runs scored is the most for the Bears in a Summit League match so far this season.
Wagner used an RBI single to center field to score Jake King in the first inning for the early lead. In the second, King used a sac fly to give Zain Zinicola a free path home for the 2-0 lead.
In the second inning, Hayden Heinze singled to score Jackson Romero. Wagner followed up, swinging at the first pitch, and put it over the left field wall for his sixth home run of the season and giving the Bears a 6-0 lead heading into the third.
Omaha's bats began to awaken in the fourth, as the Mavericks scored two runs, but right-hander Dylan Smith and the UNC defense closed out the fourth without any further damage. After the Mavericks erased the potential shutout, the Bears responded in kind in the bottom of the frame.
The Bears used three runs and one error to take a 9-2 lead in the bottom of the fourth. A double from Craig Kenny scored King, while a sac fly from Carson Gross then allowed Heinze to score. Austin Bunn capped off the score with an RBI single to left field to score Wagner.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Bears added four more runs, off of three hits, to take an 11-run lead, positioning themselves for a run-rule victory within the next three outs. Just like at the end of the fourth, Bunn used another RBI single to left field to score Wagner for the second time of the game. Romero singled to left field which allowed Gross to score. Later with the bases loaded and a new pitcher on the mound for the Mavericks, King earned his 27th base on balls for the season and gave the Bears a 12-2 lead. Heinze followed up with a sac fly to score Zinicola, giving the Bears an insurance run toward their run-rule victory.
UNC ended up needing the extra run from Zinicola, as the Mavericks scored one run on one hit in the top of the seventh, but UNC's stout defense and the efforts from reliever Griffin Webb shut down Omaha to secure the seven-inning win, by a score of 13-3.
On the mound for the Bears, Smith pitched six innings, conceding three earned runs on nine hits, while adding four strikeouts. Webb came in to pitch the final three outs, giving up just one walk while striking out one batter.
Up Next
Omaha and UNC return to Jackson Field for game two of the three-game Summit League series, tomorrow at noon (MT).
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Wagner used an RBI single to center field to score Jake King in the first inning for the early lead. In the second, King used a sac fly to give Zain Zinicola a free path home for the 2-0 lead.
In the second inning, Hayden Heinze singled to score Jackson Romero. Wagner followed up, swinging at the first pitch, and put it over the left field wall for his sixth home run of the season and giving the Bears a 6-0 lead heading into the third.
Omaha's bats began to awaken in the fourth, as the Mavericks scored two runs, but right-hander Dylan Smith and the UNC defense closed out the fourth without any further damage. After the Mavericks erased the potential shutout, the Bears responded in kind in the bottom of the frame.
The Bears used three runs and one error to take a 9-2 lead in the bottom of the fourth. A double from Craig Kenny scored King, while a sac fly from Carson Gross then allowed Heinze to score. Austin Bunn capped off the score with an RBI single to left field to score Wagner.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Bears added four more runs, off of three hits, to take an 11-run lead, positioning themselves for a run-rule victory within the next three outs. Just like at the end of the fourth, Bunn used another RBI single to left field to score Wagner for the second time of the game. Romero singled to left field which allowed Gross to score. Later with the bases loaded and a new pitcher on the mound for the Mavericks, King earned his 27th base on balls for the season and gave the Bears a 12-2 lead. Heinze followed up with a sac fly to score Zinicola, giving the Bears an insurance run toward their run-rule victory.
UNC ended up needing the extra run from Zinicola, as the Mavericks scored one run on one hit in the top of the seventh, but UNC's stout defense and the efforts from reliever Griffin Webb shut down Omaha to secure the seven-inning win, by a score of 13-3.
On the mound for the Bears, Smith pitched six innings, conceding three earned runs on nine hits, while adding four strikeouts. Webb came in to pitch the final three outs, giving up just one walk while striking out one batter.
Up Next
Omaha and UNC return to Jackson Field for game two of the three-game Summit League series, tomorrow at noon (MT).
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Smith, Dylan (5-6)
L: Charlie Bell (4-4)
Batting:
2B: Eddie Satisky 1
RBI: Eduardo Rosario 2 ; Drew Reetz 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Brennen Bales 1 ; Eddie Satisky 1 ; Noah Greise 1
SB: Eduardo Rosario 1
HBP: Noah Greise 1
PO: Haiden Hunt 1
Batting:
2B: Kenny, Craig 1
HR: Wagner, Caden 1
RBI: King, Jake 2 ; Heinze, Hayden 2 ; Kenny, Craig 1 ; Wagner, Caden 4 ; Gross, Carson 1 ; Bunn, Austin 2 ; Romero, Jackson 1
SH: Heinze, Hayden 1
SF: King, Jake 1 ; Heinze, Hayden 1 ; Gross, Carson 1
Base Running:
RUNS: King, Jake 2 ; Heinze, Hayden 2 ; Kenny, Craig 1 ; Wagner, Caden 2 ; Gross, Carson 1 ; Bunn, Austin 1 ; Fisher, Garrett 1 ; Zinicola, Zain 2 ; Romero, Jackson 1
SB: Heinze, Hayden 1
HBP: Zinicola, Zain 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
2
H
3
RBI
4
AB
4
R
1
H
3
RBI
2
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
INF/UTL
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
1B
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballINF
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