Denver, Colo.: Today's warm weather welcomed the Regis baseball team to the 2011 season and a doubleheader with Montana State-Billings.  The two teams split the series with MSU-Billings taking the first game 6-5 and the Rangers coming back to take game two 9-2.

Game 1 Boxscore
Game 2 Boxscore

Regis (1-1) jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after the first inning on three hits including a sacrifice fly by senior Zach Blakeley.  MSU-Billings (3-3) then responded with two runs in the top of the third.  

Regis trailed 5-4 after MSU-Billings scored three more in the top of the fifth.  The Rangers were able to tie the game when freshman Jon Shoutta hit his first career collegiate homerun to right field to tie the game at 5.

Regis starter Charlie Henderson pitched six innings giving up five runs and striking out seven but left with the game tied and gave the ball to senior Bryant Asnicar.  Asnicar pitched the next 1 2/3 innings flawlessly except for one pitch when Colby Robison, the first batter Asnicar faced, hit a towering homerun to left field to take a 6-5 lead.

Regis got just two more hits over the final three innings and fell in game 1 6-5.  Asnicar was saddled with the loss while the Ranger offense was led by Shoutta's 2-for-5 performance with two RBIs and two runs scored.  Blakeley went 2-for-3 whie, senior Aaron Salvucci also collected two hits.

The Rangers scored five runs in the first inning of game two and never looked back in the 9-2 victory.

What was lost in the Rangers offensive onslaught was the pitching performance of junior Steve Falconi.  Falconi pitched a complete game scattering six hits and striking out seven Yellowjacket hitters.  He game up just one earned run and didn't walk one batter.

Freshman Jay Rollinson went 2-for-3 with three RBIs on two doubles.  Sophomore Bob Terry also collected two hits as the Rangers scored their nine runs on 10 hits.

The two teams will finish their four-game series tomorrow with another doubleheader scheduled to start at 11:00 a.m.