Pulling seniority: Seniors lead UNC baseball team to home finale victory

Just when it looked like Senior Day might turn into a nightmare for the University of Northern Colorado baseball team, two seniors stepped up big to help save the day.

After losing the first game of the doubleheader against Texas-Pan American 11-5 on Sunday, seniors T.R. Keating and Chad Murray helped lead the Bears to a 16-6 victory in the second game in their final home game at Jackson Field this season. The game was called after seven innings due to the NCAA 10-run rule

Keating, a right-handed starting pitcher, picked up his first win at Jackson Field this season by allowing eight hits over five-plus innings of work with five strikeouts and no walks.

Murray was 4-for-4 with three RBI and three runs scored to lead UNC at the plate.

For Keating, it has been a struggle pitching at Jackson Field where ground balls tend to take weird bounces and where the spacious outfield makes routine fly balls an adventure.

While far from perfect, Keating wasn't about to let Jackson Field or his opponent get the best of him in his last home outing.

Even after getting into what Keating called "a little jawing action" with the Pan American first base coach early in the game, he stayed in control until the sixth when he gave up four of the six runs he allowed.

"I like to go pitch as fast as I can because I don't like sitting out there watching boring games," Keating said. "I try to make it fast and get into a rhythm, but that sixth inning kind of went the wrong way."

That's when he gave up four straight hits including a double and had two wild pitches that allowed three runs to score before he was pulled in favor of Sean Peery.

Still, he left with the Bears (17-31) ahead 11-5 and in control of the Broncs (18-31).

"I am happy that he gets the win and he pitched well enough to win," UNC coach Kevin Smallcomb said. "You earn them, so you have to go out and earn it."

Not only did Keating earn it, but so did the rest of the Bears in another wild game at Jackson Field in which the two teams combined for 22 runs on 28 hits. UNC had 19, including Kevin Sandberg's 11th home run of the season with a two-run shot in the fourth inning and a two-run homer by Andy Mees.

Even the sprinkler system that accidentally came on behind home plate during the game in the bottom of the sixth couldn't cool off the Bears bats as they erupted for five more runs on seven hits to put the game away.

One of those was an RBI single by Murray in his final plate appearance at Jackson Field.

"It is a weird feeling after four years, your last game in your home park," Murray said. "It is definitely a bittersweet weekend, that is for sure."

It was that way for all the seniors who played in their final game, especially after dropping the first game to the Broncs behind an outstanding pitching performance from senior right-hander Cody Cisper.

Cisper pitched a complete game eight-hitter, throwing 157 pitches. Four of the five runs he gave up came in the final two innings when he was clearly getting tired.

"We weren't seeing pitches," Smallcomb said. "We weren't differentiating between breaking ball and fastball and he was hiding it really well."

First game

Texas-Pan American 003 300 122 - 11 18 1

Northern Colorado 010 000 022 - 5 8 2

Texas-Pan Am: Cody Cisper (W 5-5, 8 H, 5 ER, 6 BB, 5 SO) and Nick Spears. 2B - Bonham Hough, Spears; HR - Jose Mendoza (7th, solo), Andrew Perez (9th, one on); RBI - RolyGonzalez 1, Hough 2, Billy Donaho 2, Jordan Rutenbar 2, Mendoza 2, Perez 2.

UNC: Jon Klausing (L 2-4, 13 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO), Jason Banks (7th, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB 3 SO), Matt Buck (9th, 1 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO) and Erik Whinery, Cody Henry (8th). 2B - Cory Morales; RBI - Morales 2, Erik Hegstad 2, Jeff Horn 1.

Second game

Texas-Pan American 002 004 0 - 6 9 2

Northern Colorado 300 535 X - 16 19 0

Texas-Pan Am: Shane Janecka (L 2-5, 10 H, 8 ER, 2 BB 1 SO), Esequiel Garza (4th, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 1 SO), Philip Rodriguez (5th, 4 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO), David De Leon (6th, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 SO), Evan Cunningham (6th, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO) and Nick Spears. 2B - Spears; HR - Bonham Hough (3rd, one on); RBI - Hough 2, Jose Mendoza 1, Spears 1.

UNC: T.R. Keating (W 3-5, 8 H, 6 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO), Sean Peery (6th, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO), Dan Kazell (7th, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO) and Erik Whinery. 2B - Cory Morales, Whinery; HR - Sandberg (4th, one on), Andy Mees (6th, one on); RBI - Mees 3, Morales 2, Chad Murray 3, Sandberg 2, Whinery 3, Mike Raudenbush 2, Jeff Horn 1.