Pack rebounds to split double with Highlands, win series

New Mexico Highlands 10, CSU-Pueblo 6
CSU-Pueblo 11, New Mexico Highlands 1

After losing Sunday's first game to New Mexico Highlands 10-6, the ThunderWolves could have rolled over and blew a golden opportunity to win the four-game series.  But the Pack rebounded in all facets of the game to beat Highlands 11-1 and capture the series win.

After giving up three runs in the top of the first inning in the day's first game, the ThunderWolves were, simply put, slow to catch up.  After falling down 10-1, the ThunderWolves put up five runs in the final three innings, showing a spark in their bat that Pack coach Shane Showalter hoped would carry over to their next game.

"It just got away from us," Showalter said.  "When you play a team whose season's over [Highlands entered the day with just an 8-39 record], it's hard to get over a loss to a team that has nothing to play for.  But all we could do is scratch it, pretend it didn't happen and get after it in the next game."

The memory was gone right away once the Pack entered game two.  The ThunderWolves scored six two-out runs in the first inning, allowing starter Alyssa Hansen to relax and rebound from a shaky first inning, in which she gave up one run after issuing a walk, a wild pitch and allowing an RBI double.  Hansen only gave up two more hits the rest of the way as the Pack cruised, claiming an 11-1 win in five innings.

"We had a great pitching performance and our offense carried over from the last few innings of game one," Showalter said.  "I was proud of how we were able to get over the last game and just take care of business."

The Pack's three games to one series win was pivotal, as the Pack entered the series tied with Nebraska-Kearney for the eighth and final playoff spot in the RMAC.  By the day's end, the ThunderWolves had a chance to move as many as three games ahead of Kearney, and vault as high as sixth in the RMAC standings, pending the outcome of Sunday's other RMAC games.

The ThunderWolves will have little time off before taking off to Alamosa to take on Adams State in a two-game set Wednesday.  The Grizzlies have had a fantastic season, but have struggled as of late, losing seven of 10.  A two-game sweep by the Pack could give the ThunderWolves an outside chance of overtaking Adams State and moving all the way up to third place in the RMAC West Division standings.

Showalter said that a hot ending to the 2008 regular season, which only has six games remaining, is all the team needs to get the confidence to make some noise in the playoffs.  Last season, the ThunderWolves barely qualified for the postseason, claiming the RMAC's final playoff seed, and battled all the way to the RMAC Championship Game.

"The returners on our team know what can happen if we just make it in," Showalter said.  "We know we have what it takes to ruffle some feathers in the tournament."