DENVER, Colo. – Coming off a 4-3 series opening win yesterday afternoon, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs baseball team fell in both games today at Metropolitan State University of Denver. The Roadrunners took game one of the doubleheader, 13-1, before holding off a comeback by the Mountain Lions in game two, 4-3.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final Score Game One: UCCS 1, MSUD 13 | Final Score Game Two: UCCS 3, MSUD 4
Records: UCCS (9-14, 2-5 RMAC) | MSUD (18-7, 3-4 RMAC)
Facility | Location: Assembly Athletic Complex | Denver, Colo.
All-Time Series: MSU Denver is 17-10 all-time series against UCCS.
HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME ONE
- After suffering a series opening 4-3 loss on Friday, the Roadrunners came out swinging in game one of Saturday's doubleheader, scoring 13 runs on 11 hits in the first three innings of action.
- For the second straight game, Macully Sehr led off the game with a hit and the Mountain Lions first run. He hit a lead off double down the right field line before Kit Wigington dropped a ball into centerfield to score Sehr.
- The home team responded in the bottom half of the opening frame to lead off with three straight singles. The Roadrunners bagged a 6-1 lead before the Mountain Lions were able to put an out on the scoreboard and extended their lead to 7-1 after batting through the lineup.
- Mason Pastorello, Caleb Stubbings, Brad Madison, Tyler Richardson and Sehr each chipped in a single through the next four innings but were held up on base by the Roadrunners defense.
- The home team continued to add to their lead, plating three runs off four hits in the second inning before a three-run home run from Ross Smith put the final runs on the board for MSU Denver, tying the series at 1-1 after winning game one on Saturday, 13-3.
GAME STATISTICS | GAME ONE
- UCCS recorded at least one hit in each of the first six innings with Sehr's leadoff double being the only extra base hit.
- Six Mountain Lions notched a hit against the Roadrunners. Sehr led the offense with two hits on four at-bats and a run scored.
- Leftfielder Wigington accounted for one hit on two at-bats and a run batted it.
- Pastorello went 1-for-2 at the plate and drew the Mountain Lions lone walk of the game in the final inning.
- Cam Kennedy entered the game in the sixth inning in place of right fielder Kasey Campbell, garnering a single up the middle for the Mountain Lions last hit of the game.
- Five Roadrunners posted two hits each as Caleb Albaugh went 2-for-4 with four RBI, two runs scored and two triples.
- Six of MSU Denver's 13 hits were extra-base hits.
- Will Gabriel started on the mound and suffered the loss for UCCS, allowing five runs on four hits. Ryder Mancuso relieved Gabriel in the opening frame and pitched the next 4.2 innings, surrendering eight runs on eight hits while fanning five batters.
- Brandon Meyers finished the game for the Mountain Lions on the rubber. Meyers entered the contest in the bottom of the fifth inning with bases loaded and two outs, but forced a pop up to Stubbings at first base to get out of the jam. He held MSU Denver to one hit and no runs in the final inning.
HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME TWO
- UCCS opened game three of the series at the plate going three-up, three-down in the first two innings as the home team plated their first two runs of the game with an RBI double in the first and second innings. Aggressive base running by the Roadrunners in the bottom of the second frame that saw Tyler Shultz steal home gave them a 3-0 lead after two complete innings.
- Richardson and Sehr ignited the Mountain Lions offense with two singles up the middle in the top half of the third inning but were unable to reach home. In the bottom half of the third frame, starting pitcher John Hoffman faced runners on the corner with one out, but he fielded a ground ball and turned it into a double with Sehr and Stubbings at second and first base to close the inning and keep the deficit to three runs.
- UCCS' offense continued to get hot in the fourth inning. Stubbings led off the inning with a single to left field and quickly moved to third base from Madison's single up the middle. Campbell drew his first walk of the day to load the bases as Hayden Iverson stepped to the plate with no outs and bases loaded. Iverson slinged a hard hit deep down the right field line to bring in two runs as the tying run was called out at the plate. The home team added an insurance run in the bottom of the fourth frame, 4-2, tallying their third RBI double of the game.
- After a scoreless fifth inning outing for the Mountain Lions, UCCS' defense went to work to keep the Roadrunners off the scoreboard in the bottom half of the frame. Garrett Shriver relieved Hoffman and faced a bases loaded, one-out situation. Meeting his first batter, Nate Madrid, Shriver forced Madrid to ground into a double play on a 1-1 count as Hella, Sehr and Stubbings closed the inning for the second double play of the game.
- In a two-run hole to start the final inning, Iverson was patient at the plate and drew a walk to lead off the inning. He was persistent on the base paths, stealing second before moving to third base on a wild pitch. With one out on the scoreboard, Hella hit a chopper to third base to score Iverson and bring UCCS within one run, but the Roadrunners defense closed out the game forcing UCCS to ground out the final two outs.
GAME STATISTICS | GAME TWO
- Iverson paced the Mountain Lions offense, going 1-for-2 at the plate with a double, one run scored, an RBI, one walk and a stolen base.
- Stubbings accounted for two of UCCS' eight hits and scored one run.
- Madison plated one run after going 1-for-3 at the plate.
- Hoffman recorded the loss on the mound, his first of the season. The 6-foot-6 southpaw pitched the first four and one-thirds innings, striking out two batters while four runs scored on nine hits.
- Shriver closed the game, holding the Roadrunners to one hit and no runs.
- The Roadrunners collected 10 hits off UCCS, six of which were doubles. Jake Williams led his team with a game high three hits.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Sehr improves his hitting streak to seven games after collecting three hits today.
- Iverson stole a base in both games today, bringing his stolen base total to three this season. He also picked up his second double of the season in game two today.
- Hella's leadoff single in the fifth inning of game two today marked his first hit of the series.
UP NEXT
- The four-game series will wrap up on Sunday beginning at 12 p.m.
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