Buffs lose Rocky Mountain Showdown series

Colorado Buffaloes pitcher Tyler Gray struggled in Game 1 of the Rocky Mountain Showdown last Friday. (Photo by Deborah Gomez/Sko Buffs Sports)

The Colorado Buffaloes (13-8, 6-3 Mid-Am West) club baseball team ran into its first conference turbulence last weekend against Colorado State (5-8, 2-3 Mid-Am West). Entering the series with a 5-1 division record, the Buffs took their second series loss of the year, needing a walk-off to avoid getting swept.

This series carried extra weight amid the rivalry, with the Rams taking the Mid-Am West for consecutive years, leaving the Buffs in second.

“When we present our schedule … We circle that date [CSU],” senior president Nathan Hoffman said before the season. “We’ve felt that we’ve had the more talented team the last three years.” 

Game 1

Colorado gave freshman pitcher Tyler Gray the hill to open the series. CSU came out aggressive and plated two runs in the top of the first. A fly ball from Ram Connor Sorber slipped under the glove of left fielder Aidan Mehlberg and dribbled to the wall for two RBI.

Gray’s night ended after the second inning, when CSU tacked on one more from a Colin Russo sacrifice fly. Rams starter Parker Davis held the score until the bottom of the fourth, when sophomore Charlie Lesch delivered with an infield RBI to get CU on the board.

Colorado State kept its foot on the pedal and poured in four more runs before the seventh-inning stretch. After junior reliever Chase Ambhuel held it down for the middle innings, the Rams got to CU’s late-inning arm Archie Neibart.

The Buffs rallied in the bottom of the seventh to make it a one-run game, but the Rams added on two insurance runs in the top of the ninth to put it away, 9-6.

Game 2

Saturday housed games two and three in seven-inning affairs. Lesch got the scoring started, coming home off a passed ball from CSU’s catcher. The 1-0 advantage didn’t last long, however, with the Rams punching back with five runs in the top of the third.

Senior starter Peter Nickerson rode out the bumpy third but allowed another run next inning, ending his day with six earned runs. 

Ambhuel got a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth, which ended up being the last run for CU in game two.

Colorado State completed the victory 8-2 to secure their first series win of 2026.

Game 3

The Buffaloes at last won a starting pitching matchup in the series finale, but it took them to the final at-bat to win the game. Senior Will Shine took the mound for a near-complete game, tossing six innings with zero earned runs. The Rams still put a trio of unearned runs on the board over his outing, but were ultimately shut down, only connecting on four hits.

CSU’s starter Ryan Ley did not have a bad day in the slightest, and even outlasted Shine through 6 ⅓ innings. That said, the Buffs notched nine hits off the senior for four earned runs.

Hoffman entered the top of the seventh in a 3-1 game, needing to shut it down to keep hopes alive for a win. The Rams put together solid at-bats and got two additional runs off RBI, putting the thoughts of a Rocky Mountain sweep in the minds of everyone at Scott Carpenter Park.

Sophomore outfielder Colin Dwyer came up to bat leadoff and ignited the rally with a base hit. Hoffman reached off a hit, then, with one out, handed the twig to sophomore Finn Simones. Simones finished his 3-for-4 day with a three-run home run to end Ley’s afternoon and make it a one-run match.

Colorado stirringly tied it up on a play that should’ve ended the game, with an error by the Rams’ third baseman, Noah Graves. Then, with two outs in a 5-5 tie and runners on the corners, sophomore Richie Biborosch III slapped a ball to deep right-center field in no-man's land to win the game 6-5.

The late-game rally put Colorado’s conference record at 6-3, good enough for second place. Air Force, which Colorado beat two games to one last weekend, is in first with a 6-2 record. All the Buffs need to do is tie or beat the Falcons record to win the Mid-Am West for the first time since 2023.

While initially scheduled to take place in Laramie, the Buffs remain at Scott Carpenter for a series with the Wyoming Cowboys (2-10, 0-6 Mid-Am West) on Saturday and Sunday. First pitch of Game 1 is set for 3 p.m. MT and can be watched on the Sko Buffs Sports YouTube.