Hunter Scott (Photo by Anthony Vasser)
FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
HOUSTON, Texas – On Friday afternoon at Husky Field, the HBU Huskies won a pair of games against Northern Colorado by scores of 5-2 and 9-4 to give them their first three-game winning streak of the season.
In game one, a seven-inning affair, the Huskies opened things up in the bottom of the first with three consecutive singles from Travis Fuquay, Eric Schiro and Johnathon Moore to take a 1-0 lead. In the second, Brian Franze and David Mark drew consecutive walks to start the frame. A sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly from Nick Homan scored Franze. After another single from Fuquay who moved up on a passed ball, Schiro singled through the left side to score a pair of runs and bring the tally to 4-0.
Andrew Taccolini picked up a one-out single in the third followed by walks to Robbie Buller and Brian Franze. With the bases loaded, Mark brought a run home with a fielder’s choice to third base to give the Huskies a 5-0 lead. Northern Colorado tacked on a single run in the fifth on a walk, a double and a sacrifice fly. In the seventh, HBU starter Hunter Scott walked two and hit one to open the inning with the bases loaded. Andrew Picos came in, inducing a groundout to first that scored a run and then getting a pair of popouts to pick up his first save of the year.
Fuquay and Schiro were the only two Huskies with multiple hits in the contest, collecting two each. Fuquay scored twice while Schiro drove in a pair. As a team, HBU had seven hits and stranded six runners.
Scott threw six innings, allowing two earned runs on just two hits. The junior picks up his first win as a Husky, improving to 1-2, as he struck out two and walked three.
In the second game, the Bears struck first. HBU starter Andrew Beasley issued a leadoff walk that came around to score after stealing second, moving up to third on a wild pitch and then coming home on a single. The Huskies had an answer as Fuquay led off with a single up the middle followed by a Schiro walk. Beau Warren then stroked a single to right center to bring in a pair of runs. Taccolini doubled to right center to bring Warren all the way around from first to score. Later in the inning, Homan connected on a two-run single to left center to give HBU a 5-1 lead through one.
Northern Colorado pushed across a single run in the third, fourth and fifth innings to pull the score to 5-4. HBU made good use of a single and three walks to bring a single run across in the bottom of the fifth for a two-run lead.
Mark led off the seventh inning with a solo home run on a 2-0 count. With a 7-4 lead, the Huskies pushed it further in the eighth. HBU got three singles and took advantage of an error to bring a pair of runs across for the final score of 9-4.
Beasley lasted a career-high eight innings to earn his first collegiate victory. The freshman scattered nine hits while allowing four run, just three of them earned, while striking out six and walking a pair. Beasley is now 1-3 on the season.
Mark was a perfect 3-3 at the plate with his second home run of the season and a pair of singles. He scored once and drove in one. Warren, Taccolini, Buller and Franze all had two hits in the game.
HBU stranded 12 runners while totaling 13 hits in the game while Northern Colorado had nine hits and left eight men on base.
HBU (5-24) and Northern Colorado (9-20) will conclude their four-game series on Saturday, April 11 at 1:00 pm.
