ALAMOSA, Colo. – Adams State Baseball opened up its weekend home series against Colorado Christian Saturday afternoon with a 1-1 split on day one of the series.

The Grizzlies (4-16, 1-5 RMAC) relied on a combination of hitting and pitching to secure a hard fought game one by a final of 8-6. Game two was nearly similar, but it was the Cougars (6-13, 1-5 RMAC) that had the combination go in their favor win 7-6 in the seven inning battle.

Game one was a close start through the first two inning with both teams driving in two runs before four-run third inning ultimately helped the Grizzlies secure the series opening win.

Jake Angelopulos and Erik Hildebrandt scored the first two Adams State runs on back-to-back singles to go along with a stolen base from both players to get in scoring position. Logan Bistrup plated both runners home on a deep sacrifice fly to right field to give the home team a 2-0 edge after one.

The lead was short lived as Colorado Christian matched Adams State with a pair of runs to keep things interesting. After two runners got on with a single and a hit by pitch, respectively, Scotty Ingle brought both in with a two RBI single up the middle to knot the game at 2-all.

Defense then became a factor for a short while as the Cougars forced a 1-2-3 inning to close out the second, but the Grizzlies matched them with the same outing to start the third. The third is where the Grizzlies did damage scoring four runs and tallied four hits to grab a four-run lead.

Angelopulos got things going with a leadoff double but was stuck there after the Cougars got back-to-back outs. He managed to get to third on the second out to keep the Grizzlies hopes alive. Jared Gay then scored Angelopulos with a base hit to right center. 

Following Gay's hit, Bistrup was walked to put two runners on base. Enter designated hitter Orland Romero who left no doubt with a three-run bomb to left field and gave the Grizzlies a 6-2 lead before the Cougars ended the inning.

The Cougars got a run back to start the fourth after an error ultimately help the visitors score the unearned run. They then buckled down on defense and held the Grizzlies scoreless in the bottom of the inning to stay within striking distance at 6-3.

A two-out solo home run from Heath Hays in the fifth gave Colorado Christian hope as the team cut Adams State's lead to just two-runs. The home team responded in the bottom of the inning with two more runs that ultimately help secure the series opening win.

Gay led off with a double and was followed by a bunt single from Bistrup to get to third. Bistrup then stole second to put the Grizzlies in a solid position with no outs. A wild scored Gay and got Bistrup to third before a RBI single from Billy Ryan scored the final run. With the two runs, the Grizzlies lead 8-4.

Starter David Maldonado was in a zone as he worked a 1-2-3 sixth inning and then got three straight outs in the seventh after a leadoff walk. The Cougars also had an answer on defense not allowing a hit in both innings as well to stay within four runs.

The Cougars final two runs came in the top of the eighth but never mustered anything the rest of the way. Timothy Orr scored the first run on a RBI single to bring home Heath Hays. He then got to second on a wild pitch before a RBI single two batters later plated him home.

Things got interesting in the top of the ninth as the Cougars had opportunities to score but solid pitching from reliever Troy Gutbub and quick reactions from the Grizzlies defense kept the visitors from stealing game one.

Three Grizzlies racked up two hits in Angelopulos, Gay, and Dakota Solis. Angelopulos scored two runs, while Gay also had two runs to go along with one RBI. Romero went 1-4 with a home run and tallied three RBI. Ryan also had a RBI after going 1-4 in game one.

On the hill, Maldonado got the win to improve to 2-3 after pitching seven complete innings. Kolton Bleggi and Butbub each pitched an inning, while Gutbub earned his first save of the season.

Four from Colorado Christian tallied two hits in Joel Manzano, Heath Hays, Orr, and Ingle. Heath Hays scored three runs and had a RBI, while Ingle tallied three RBI. Orr scored two runs in the loss and also had a RBI. Alex Ginn suffered the loss to move to 2-2. He went five innings and allowed all eight runs, with seven being earned
 

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Game two was another close game between the two squads as the Cougars led 7-2 after four innings. The Grizzlies nearly mounted a comeback scoring one run the next three innings but fell just short of the comeback win and a day one sweep.

Helping the Cougars grab an early lead was back-to-back errors from the Grizzlies to start the game. The defensive miscues gave the Cougars a 1-0 lead without getting a single hit. The early momentum helped CCU as the team worked the top of the order to end the first frame quickly. 

CCU then added another run to start the second to lead 2-0. Frankie Shearn III got a one-out single up the middle and got to third after stealing second and with the help of throwing error by the Grizzlies. Scotty Ingle plated him home with a RBI single before the Grizzlies ended the inning.

Despite the early struggles, Adams State responded with two runs in the bottom of the second to tie the game. Paul Giglio plated home the two runs on a two RBI single to right field to bring home Jared Gay and Logan Bistrup. Giglio got to third on a throwing error from the catcher but was left stranded to keep the game tied.

Neither squad managed to score in the third to keep the game tied at 2-2, but a four-run inning to start the fourth gave the Cougars a 6-2 lead. Three straight singles loaded the bases for the Cougars before a fielder's choice and an error scored two runs for the Cougars.

Scotty Ingle got on from the fielder's choice but a throwing error from second base allowed two runners to score. Matthew Kimura and Hunter Hays then hit back-to-back singles to score the next two runs and make it a 6-2 game.

The Grizzlies got a run back in the bottom of the fourth to cut the game to three runs, 6-3. Giglio and Bistrup once again teamed up to score the run for the home squad. A one-out single got Bistrup on and a wild pitch advanced him. Giglio then scored him with a RBI double to left.

Looking to help build some momentum, started Daniel Brennan worked a 1-2-3 inning to start the fifth to get the Adams State offense back on the field. It paid off as Gay hit a RBI single to left field to score Erik Hildebrandt. Going into the sixth, Adams State trailed CCU by just two, 6-4.

Brennan kept his flow on the hill going as he allowed no hits to start the sixth and keep the Grizzlies in the game. The Grizzlies then answered once again with a RBI single from Billy Ryan to plate home Giglio and make it a one-run game with one inning left at 6-5.

The Cougars ended their drought in the sixth with a run scored and it was just enough to secure a slim one-run win. A sacrifice fly from Connor Marschall scored Carter Mossey to make it a 7-5 game before the Grizzlies ended the inning. 

Nico Nintze and Gay got on base via a double and hit by pitch, respectively to start the bottom of the seventh. Two batters later Noah Befus singled to score Nintze but the Cougars then forced back-to-back out to end the game and tie the series 1-1.

Bistrup and Giglio each notched two hits in game two. Bistrup was 2-4 with two runs scored, while Giglio went 2-3 with three RBI. Brennan suffered the loss to move to 0-4 after pitching 6.2 innings. 

Shearn III was 2-4 with a run scored to lead CCU. Ingle finished 1-4 with two RBI and run scored to also help out on offense. Connor McCullum secured the win to move to 2-4 after five innings of work. Kyler Riordan earned the save after closing out the seventh inning.

The Grizzlies and Cougars will close out the series Sunday afternoon with another doubleheader. First pitch of game one is set for 12 p.m. at the ASU Baseball Field.