UNC Posts 9-6 Win vs Omaha; One Win Away from League Tourney

Friday, May 19

Greeley, Colo.

12 p.m.

University of Northern Colorado

11-33, 8-15

Omaha

20-26, 8-14

Omaha

Northern Colorado

Photo by: Liv Doro

5/19/2023 5:29:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

GREELEY, Colo. -- Playing with nothing to lose, the Northern Colorado baseball team delivered a 9-6 win over Omaha on Friday afternoon, posting it's first set of back-to-back wins in Summit League play this season. With the win, the Bears are one win away from securing the final spot in the 2023 Summit League Baseball Championship.

UNC was led on the day from junior Carson Gross, who batted 2-for-4, scoring two runs and recording four RBI, which included a three-run triple in the sixth inning to put the Bears ahead 4-2.

Junior right-hander Murphy Gienger was stellar on the mound for the Bears, striking out eight batters, with only one earned run against in six innings of work. Gienger picked up his second win of the season, while reliever Kevin Sharp pitched the remaining three innings for his second save of the season.

Omaha got on the board first, scoring two unearned runs in the third inning for the 2-0 lead. UNC responded in the bottom of the frame, as Hayden Heinze singled to score Zinicola.

In the sixth, Gross hit his 3-RBI triple to right field, before coming home to score off a wild pitch on the next batter. The Bears kept things rolling in the sixth with two outs, as Jackson Romero hit an RBI single to left center to give the Bears a 6-2 lead.

The Mavericks kept up their pressure as they score two runs in the top of the seventh to cut UNC's lead to 6-4.

Without skipping a beat, UNC responded again in the bottom of the frame scoring three more runs. Gross recorded his second hit of the game, and his fourth RBI, to score Heinze. Zinicola followed up at the end of the inning with a single to left field that scored both Gross and Austin Bunn, for the 9-4 lead.

In the top of the ninth, the Mavericks gave the Bears a slight scare, as Omaha ended up scoring two runs to cut UNC's lead to 9-6. However, Sharp got the final Maverick batter looking to secure the win for UNC.

Northern Colorado and Omaha return to Jackson Field for the series finale at noon tomorrow. The winner of the contest will secure the final spot in the 2023 Summit League Baseball Championship, which will be played May 24-27 in Fargo, N.D.