Editor’s note: Joseph Impellitteri is The Scribe’s co-editor in chief. 
 
Another week, another batch of road trips for the Mountain Lions.  

The first weekend of April saw event records set by men’s and women’s track and field athletes, and baseball and softball had some tough losses.  

Outdoor Track and Field sets 4 school records 

The track and field teams were in action across the west this weekend. The men’s team was split up between the Mike Fanelli Track Classic in San Francisco, the Stanford Invitational in Stanford, California and the Bill Schmidt Invite in Denton, Texas. The women’s team participated in the Stanford Invitational and Bill Schmidt Invite.  

Four school records were broken in California. In San Franciso, both the men’s and women’s 3000-meter steeplechase records were broken. Redshirt sophomore Joseph Impellitteri broke the men’s record when running 9:13.91 to finish 11th overall. Redshirt senior Rachel Richtman broke the women’s record when running 10:34.17 to finish fifth in her heat. Senior Anna Fauske set the third school record in San Franciso, when running 33:22.66 to finish 19 in the women’s 10,000-meter. 

At the Mike Fanelli Track Classic, redshirt junior Jagger Zlotoff set a school record for the men’s 1500-meter when running 3:42.85 to win heat 3. 

While the distance runners were breaking records in California, the sprinters and field athletes were adding their own additions to the record books. There were 3 updates to the all-time top 5 lists in Texas: 

• Senior Luke Hard’s mark of 58.25 meters in the hammer throw is second all-time at UCCS. 

• Junior Michael Roberts also joined the top 5 for hammer throw. His mark of 56.96 meters is third all-time. 

• Graduate student Caiden Macktinger’s mark of 4.75 meters is fourth all-time for men’s pole vault. 

The track and field teams will be back in action this weekend at the Jo Meaker Classic & Multi in Texas and the Kit Mayer Classic at Colorado School of Mines.  

Baseball splits non-conference double header at Fort Hays 

The Mountain Lions rode out to Hays, Kansas for a doubleheader against Fort Hays on April 6.  

They lost game 1 after the first 4 innings went scoreless. At the top of the fifth, a single by junior infielder Bryce Peterson put redshirt senior catcher Evan Steinberger across home base for the first run of the game. Next up was redshirt senior outfielder Kit Wigington who hit a home run, giving UCCS a short-lived 1 run lead, 3-2, as Peterson and Wiginton ran the diamond. The final nail in the coffin came in the bottom of the sixth with 4 runs by Fort Hays to win game 1, 6-3.  

Fort Hays continued the momentum in the bottom of the first inning of game 2, with a home run to put the first 2 runs on the board. Doubles from Wigington and senior outfielder Dillion Vroman helped UCCS to 4 runs at the top of the third, 4-2. In the fifth, a single by senior infielder Caleb Chance increased the run tally to 6-2 as redshirt senior outfielder Hayden Iverson and Wigington crossed home base. A walk for redshirt sophomore catcher Tyler Buchman let Vroman score, 7-2. Peterson signed off game 2 with a home run to center field, securing the win 8-2.  

Baseball’s record stands at 8-8 in RMAC, 19-14 overall. Baseball returns to Mountain Lion Park for a 4-game RMAC series against conference-leading Colorado Mesa beginning on April 11.  

Softball swept by CSU Pueblo 

Softball swept three series against other teams earlier this season but got a taste of their own medicine at CSU Pueblo on April 6 and 7. 

On April 6, they managed just 1 run in game 1 for a 5-1 loss. In game 2, they had a run in each of the first three innings, including a home run from sophomore infielder Jennavieve Goldsworth. After CSU Pueblo’s 4 runs in the third, the Mountain Lions couldn’t put together another run, giving the win to CSU Pueblo, 4-3. 

The Mountain Lions were the first to score in game 1 on April 7, with an unearned run by freshman infielder Hally Redd, 1-0. Heading into the fifth inning, the score was tied 3-3. Sophomore outfielder Jacqueline Berkowitz was able to score after a CSU Pueblo catcher’s error, 4-3. From there, CSU Pueblo got away to a 4-run lead, 9-5.  

In the seventh inning, a home run by freshman utility player Tayler McCombs with junior utility player Alyssa Gutierrez from first base cut the lead in half, 9-7. Redd’s score after sophomore catcher/outfielder Katelyn Kilgore’s double put UCCS one run shy of the lead, but CSU Pueblo took the game, 9-8. 

The Mountain Lions frontloaded the score in game 2 on April 7, with 4 runs in the first two innings to the Thunderwolves 0 runs. UCCS had no answer to CSU Pueblo’s 6-run rally in the fourth. After seven innings, the score stood at 8-4 in CSU Pueblo’s favor.  

Softball’s record now stands at 18-13 in RMAC, 24-18 overall. They will take a trip to South Dakota for a 4-game series against Black Hills State on April 12 and 13. 

Pitcher #26 Joshua Zotto on April 9. Archive photo by Josiah Dolan.