University of Northern Colorado baseball (5-15, 1-8 WAC) has been on the losing side of two shutouts this season, but it turned the tables on Friday.
The Bears defeated Utah Valley (2-15, 0-5 WAC), 10-0, at Jackson Stadium in Greeley.
“We have a lot of good pieces, we just haven’t been able to put it together,” junior pitcher Sam Leach said. “We faced two good WAC opponents the first two weekends — Utah Valley is one we need to win and Seattle U is one we need to win — so itap mainly staying the course. It was nice to see a win here, so hopefully we can pull a couple (Saturday). I think once we get on a roll, learn how to win, it’ll be smooth sailing.”
Junior Jake Gitter got things started for the Bears, hitting a home run in the bottom of the third to put UNC up 1-0. Not long after, Leach scored on an RBI from junior Josh Glenn, who leads the Western Athletic Conference for runs batted in.
Gitter and senior Matt Burkart of Eaton lead the WAC in home runs with seven and six, respectively.
UNC added four more runs in the fifth, including an RBI apiece from Glenn and Leach, to give the Bears a 6-0 cushion.
Of course, Northern Colorado wasn’t done and finished the day with four additional insurance runs, coming during the sixth, seventh and eighth innings.
Leach earned his fifth start in the circle and his second win. He recorded a no-hitter up until the top of the seventh when Utah Valley got on base, putting one runner in scoring position.
The right-handed pitcher and UNC’s defense recorded a double play, their second of the afternoon, to keep the Wolverines scoreless.
“I see all the work they put in, and as a pitcher, I want to show them that I’m going to be around the zone,” Leach said. “They’re going to get a lot of action, and I know they’ll make the plays. It gives you a lot of confidence, knowing you have a solid defense back there.”
Leach finished the day with four strikeouts and just one walk in his second full game of the season. He also extended his own hitting streak to 17 games, earning two runs, two RBI and a walk in the win.
UNC will continue its conference series against Utah Valley on Saturday with a double header. The first game starts at noon, and fans can watch the contests for free on Pluto TV channel 1059.
