DENVER – The Regis University baseball team faced off against another nationally ranked conference foe in No. 21 Metropolitan State University of Denver and fell in the opening pair of games of the series by scores of 5-2 and 6-1 at Assembly Complex on Friday.
 
How It Happened | Game 1: In the process of nursing a 2-1 lead in the sixth inning, Roadrunners senior first baseman/outfielder Cade Peters knocked a double down the left-field line to score senior outfielder Owen Reynolds from first to extend the MSU Denver lead to 3-1. MSUD did not need any more run support after this.
 
Later leading 4-1 in the sixth, sophomore catcher Colin Stone singled to left to bring home freshman infielder Jackson VanZee from second for a 5-1 advantage, which marked the Roadrunners' final run of the opener. VanZee reached base on his RBI double down the left-field line in the previous at-bat.
 
The Rangers cut into their deficit with two outs in the ninth when redshirt sophomore infielder Colten Chase, who doubled to left center, touched home plate on a passed ball to take the game to its final score of 5-2.
 
Regis took an early 1-0 lead in the first when Chase scored on a wild pitch. Chase opened the game with a hit-by-pitch.
 
MSU Denver tied the game in the bottom half of the first, 1-1, on sophomore infielder Bill Ralston's sacrifice fly to center that allowed junior infielder/outfielder Chase Anderson to cross home from third. Anderson opened the inning with a single to right. 
 
MSUD began to break away from RU in the sixth. Ralston, who led off the inning with a single up the middle, scored the go-ahead run, 2-1, on Reynolds' single to left, which preceded Peters' aforementioned at-bat that led to the eventual game-winning run.
 
Game Notes: Chase posted a 2-for-3 performance in the opener, including a double, and scored both of the Rangers' runs. Senior outfielder Ryan Tierney registered a 2-for-3 showing at the plate. Senior outfielder Kyle Koontz recorded a 1-for-4 outcome with the bat. Junior pitcher Justin Kleinsorge threw 5.2 innings in which he struck out seven while giving up five runs, six hits, and two walks.
 
How It Happened | Game 2: With a scoreless tie on the board in the bottom of the first, senior outfielder Niko Piazza belted a two-run home run to left that brought home Ralston from first. Piazza's run gave the Roadrunners all the runs they needed for the first doubleheader's closer. Ralston singled up the middle right before Piazza's at-bat.
 
However, Regis cut its deficit in half, 2-1, when sophomore infielder Matt Marlow opened the fourth with a solo home run to left.
 
Upon tacking on one run in both the bottom of the fourth and fifth innings, MSU Denver cushioned its three-run lead further in the sixth. Ralston hit a bases-loaded single to right that scored both VanZee from third and Anderson from second to send MSUD to a 6-1 advantage, which would be the eventual final score. Both VanZee and Anderson walked to get on base.
 
Game Notes: Marlow claimed a 1-for-3 result, consisting of the home run that yielded him both a run scored and an RBI. Freshman outfielder Levi Padilla closed the day with a 1-for-3 showing, consisting of a double. Senior catcher JT Stanley put up a 1-for-2 outcome with the bat and also had a walk. Senior pitcher Adam Hubley pitched 5.2 innings during which he struck out five while allowing five runs, five hits, and three walks.
 
Up Next for the Rangers: RU drops to a 16-10 record overall and a 12-10 record in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) play. The Rangers conclude their series at The Regency Athletic Complex against the No. 21 Roadrunners (27-7, 23-7 RMAC) in a Saturday doubleheader with a nine-inning game starting at 1 p.m. and a seven-inning contest kicking off at 4 p.m.