DENVER, Colo. – The Regis University Ranger softball team and the Metropolitan State University of Denver Roadrunners yet again fought through the final two games of the series. Games featuring these two teams are usually low scoring, defensive battles and one proved just that but the other was the exact opposite.

Regis took a slight one-run lead in the eighth but dropped game one of day two 5-4 on a two-run walk-off Roadrunner home run. The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference clash continued through the entire second game with the Rangers outlasting the home team for a 9-7 win that also required extra innings for a result.

Game 1 – Metro State 5 Regis 4

After a scoreless first inning, the teams exchanged runs in the second as the score locked at 1-1. MSU-Denver continued to bring one across in each the third and fourth to hold a 3-1 lead over Regis.

On two outs, in the top half of the fifth, Nicole Aviles recorded a two-RBI single to even the score 3-3. A quick seventh inning for both squads as each went three up, three down to push the game into extras.

Regis opened the eighth with back-to-back singles from Aviles and Macy Cox to put game-winning runners in scoring positions. The Rangers capitalized on a costly error by the Roadrunners on two outs just after an MSU-Denver pitching change. Delaney McGinn came around on the very first pitch to put one in play on the ground that caused some confusion among the Metro State infielders. Cox would come across the plate on the error to give RU their first lead of the game, 4-3.

The game came to a halt when the Roadrunners went ahead on a two-run walk-off home run. Aviles, Carlie Sexton and Emily John all went 2-for-4 at the plate combining for six of the eight Regis hits. Aviles also drove in two runs while pitching in all 7.1 innings and recording four strikeouts.

Game 2 – Regis 9 Metro State 7

A remarkable offensive performance allowed RU to turn the 9-7 result in last game of the series to finish in a 2-2 split. The Rangers tallied their second most hits on the season with 18 led by McGinn and Sexton going 4-for-5 at the plate. They both combined for four of the Rangers nine runs with McGinn recording two RBIs and two doubles.

Each time either team scored, the other had a response. After the first inning, the Roadrunners held a 2-1 lead but Regis continued fighting.

On two outs, in the top of the third, the Rangers went to work with help from two MSU-Denver errors. McGinn notched an RBI-single to score Nicole Hull who reached on an error and Kaci McClure followed that up with a two-RBI single of her own to give RU a 4-2 lead.

The Roadrunners shifted the lead back in their favor bringing two runs across in each the third and fourth, 6-4. Sexton and McGinn, again, came to bat and made things happen. Sexton opened the top of the fifth with a single and McGinn followed with an RBI-double to left to bring RU back within one, 6-5.

Metro State would score one final time in the bottom of the fifth to lead 7-5 but Regis would then hold them scoreless for the remaining three innings and begin to etch away at the lead. The Rangers forced the Roadrunners to make two pitching changes in the sixth inning as they evened the score 7-7 off a sacrifice fly from Aviles and another RBI-single from Sexton.

Then, in the eighth, none other than Sexton and McGinn started things off again. Sexton singled to left field and advanced to third on McGinn's second double of the game. Ashley Prescott grounded out in the next at bat but would score Sexton as the lead changed for the final time, 8-7. McClure notched her third RBI of the day when she singled to center to score McGinn and give Regis the two-run cushion heading into the last half inning.

The Rangers held MSU-Denver at bay on two ground outs and a line out from the first three batters to improve to an overall record of 21-18 and 16-12 in the RMAC.

RU will host Fort Lewis and CSU-Pueblo in the final regular season pod series Saturday, April 16 and Sunday, April 17. Game times on Saturday are set for 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. and Sunday for 10 a.m., 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.