Denver, Colo.: The Ranger baseball squad began their RMAC schedule with a two-game split with Colorado Mines on Friday.  The Rangers took game one 9-4 and fell in the nightcap 8-4.

The Rangers scored all nine of their runs in the first four innings.  RU (4-5, 1-1 RMAC) put two on the board in the first when Tony Piazza doubled in Jon Shoutta and then the next batter, Logan Knox drove in Piazza with a single to left center.  

The Rangers scratched out one run on a wild pitch that scored Justin Hawkins from third.  The third inning saw Regis score three on a bases loaded double by Dylan Navarro plating all three runs.

Piazza started the rally in the fourth by tripling to center field to score Ty Overboe and Shoutta and then scored his own on a balk.  Ranger starter Kirby Schwein went six innings.  He gave up just two earned runs and struck out four in evening his record at 1-1.

Knox went 3-for-4 at the plate, while Piazza went 2-for-4 with three RBIs.  Navarro was 2-for-3 and drove in three as well.  Stevey Heyliger, Jordan Blaylock and Matt Hemphill each went an inning and allowed just one hit and no runs.

Mines jumped out quickly in game two with a run in the first before Regis responed with three in the bottom of the inning.  With two outs, Overboe and Piazza had back-to-back singles, before Knox came to the plate and hit a no doubter to centerfield that cleared the wall for a three-run homerun, his second of the season.

Colorado Mines score two runs in the second, fourth and fifth before one more in the seventh.  Regis scratched out a run in the seventh but it was too little too late.  RU hurt themselves with three errors in the game.

Overboe went 3-for-4, while Piazza had another good game at 2-for-3.  

The two teams will meet for two more tomorrow starting at 11:00 a.m., weather permitting.