HOUSTON – Houston Baptist grounded into three double plays and allowed three unearned runs as Northern Colorado claimed the opener of the Great West Conference series with a 7-5 victory Friday afternoon at Husky Field.

Senior first baseman Beau Warren went 3-for-5 with an RBI, while junior rightfielder Kolby Arnst went 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI for the Huskies (6-24, 4-1 GWC). Junior designated hitter Robbie Buller went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored, while junior second baseman David Pfuntner went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI.

Ben Packard went 4-for-5 with a double, two RBIs and a run to lead the Bears (6-24, 3-2). Jarod Berggren and Harrison Lambert had two hits each for Northern Colorado, while Adam Hinkler and Bret Fanning each scored two runs and Tony Crudo drove in a pair.

Chris Carlburg (1-2) picked up the win, despite allowing the tying run in the sixth inning, and Nate Steinmetz notched the save by tossing a perfect ninth. Junior righthander Dalton Schafer (1-8) took the loss, giving up six runs, four earned, on 12 hits in six innings.

The Bears struck first as Hinkler led off the game with a single, went to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on Packard's double to left-center, but the Huskies tied the game in the bottom of the first as Pfuntner led off with a single and scored on Buller's sacrifice fly, which likely would have left the yard had it not been for strong winds blowing in.

In the second Berggren singled, went to second on a balk and scored as Cruddo singled to right and went to second on the play at the plate. Marcus Valenzuela followed with an RBI single to right to give Nothern Colorado a 3-1 lead. HBU came back with a pair in the third, as Pfunter walked, Hetzler singled to short and both runners moved up on an errant throw to first. Buller lifted another sacrifice fly to plate a run, then Arnst's single to center tied the game.

In the fifth, Hilker reached on a fielding error and Fanning singled to center and went to second on the throw to third. T.J. Berge walked to load the bases, Packard singled to right to drive in the go-ahead run and Casey Coy's sacrifice once again gave the Bears a two-run lead. In the bottom of the inning, Buller singled to left, Arnst doubled and Warren grounded out to cut the lead to one. In the sixth, junior catcher Asai Adame singled to lead off the inning, went to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on Pfuntner's single up the middle to tie the game, 5-5.

Northern Colorado took the lead for good in the seventh as Packard singled up the middle , Coy singled to center, Berggren beat out a potential double-play ball to put runners on the corners, and Crudo's sacrifice fly brought in the go-ahead run. The Bears added a run in the eighth as Lambert singled to lead off the inning, but was retired when Fanning reached on a fielder's choice. Fanning stole second, took third on a wild pitch and scored as the throw to third sailed into leftfield.

The Huskies loaded the bases with one out in the eighth, but a double play ended the threat.