DENVER, Colo. – The Regis University baseball team (19-10, 12-6 RMAC) split the doubleheader with the Metropolitan State University-Denver Roadrunners (14-14, 10-8 RMAC), winning game one 4-1, but dropping game two 7-6.
Game One: Through the first two and a half innings, the game was viewed as a pitcher's duel between junior
Noah Gotsis (W, 4-1) and MSU-Denver's Beecher Strube (L, 3-5). The first pitch of the game came off the bat of redshirt-senior
Geordy Smith as he connected on a solo home run to left field in the bottom of the third inning giving Regis their first run of the game.
Gotsis did not surrender his first baserunner until the top of the fourth inning coming via a walk. The very next batter hit a triple down the left field line, bringing the runner in from first base, tying the game at one run apiece.
Both Strube and Gotsis continued to mow down hitters, but it was the Rangers' bats who finally got to Strube in the bottom of the eighth as they scored three runs to take a 4-1 lead.
Junior
Patrick Kenny (S, 6) came on in the top of the ninth, getting the first two batters out before allowing a single to center field. Kenny got the final out of the game, picking up his sixth save of the season and helping RU to the win in the series opener.
Game Notes: Gotsis earned his fourth victory of the year, hurling eight innings, allowing six hits and only one earned run. The junior struck out six batter while only walking two, getting 10 of batters to fly out, with the other seven getting out by the way of ground balls. Five players registered one hit in the game led by Smith (1-2, HR, RBI) and senior
Max Fabricant (1-2, 2 BB, R) who each went .500 from the plate.
Game Two: The second game of the day started a little different than the first as the Roadrunners got on the board with two runs in the top of the second inning to take an early lead, while also threatening to push more runs across with runners on the corners. Senior
Adam Montano found a way to get all three outs, stranding the runners and pitching his way out of the jam.
The bottom of the fourth inning was all Regis. The Rangers scored four runs on a sacrifice fly from Smith scoring junior
Garrett Skillings from third. Fabricant then laced a single to right field that brought redshirt-sophomore
Logan Heflebower in to score from second base, tying the game at two runs apiece.
RU scored two more runs in the inning to take a 4-2 lead after four innings of play. The visitors responded with a three-run home run in the top of the fifth inning to reclaim the lead, 5-4.
With runners on second and third base, junior
Chris Kobar sent a shot up the middle that was gloved by the shortstop, but Heflebower scored and Smith moved up to third base on the play. Deadlocked at five runs apiece, Fabricant chopped a ball high in the air to third base, allowing Smith to race home and score to take a 6-5 lead, with two outs in the bottom of the sixth.
Junior
Patrick Kenny (L, 2-2) came on for the top of the seventh inning in an attempt to pick up his second save of the day but the opposition had other plans. The first batter got on board with a single to right field, but Kenny got the next batter to strike out swinging on three straight pitches.
The following batter got out on a fielder's choice, but MSU-Denver connected on a two-run home run to left field on the very next at-bat, blowing Kenny's save opportunity and taking a 7-6 lead with two outs in the top of the seventh.
Although the home team threatened in their half of the seventh inning, the Roadrunners shut them down and walked away with the victory. The heart-breaking loss for Regis ended the day with a 1-1 split for both teams.
Game Notes: Kenny picked up the loss after giving up the two-run shot to MSU-Denver in the top of the seventh. Montano earned a no-decision on the day, pitching 4.2 innings and allowing four earned runs. Newell led the charge offensively going 3-for-4 from the plate, but Fabricant collected a team-high two RBI's as he went 2-for-4 from the dish while also collecting a stolen base. The team committed one error in the game, with the Roadrunners committing two of their own, in a game where both teams had 11 hits.
Next Up for the Rangers: The Regis University baseball team will finish the four-game series with MSU-Denver with a doubleheader tomorrow afternoon beginning at noon.
