DENVER - The Regis University baseball team (2-4-1, 0-0 RMAC) celebrated their home opener with a win over the Minot State Beavers (3-2), Thursday afternoon on the Regis Baseball Field. The rescheduled game was an offensive duel that saw a combined 34 hits from the two squads. In the end, the Rangers had enough juice in the batting order to outlast Minot, 18-17.

How it Happened: After starting pitcher junior Porter Hardcastle (0-1) let up a trio of runs in the first, Regis piled on seven runs to take a commanding 7-3 lead heading into the second. 

Later, sophomore Levi Padilla's solo shot over the fence sparked RU for another offensive explosion. Six runs in the bottom third gave the Rangers a 14-6 lead over the Beavers. 

Despite the comfortable advantage, Minot State thundered back in the fourth and sixth innings, sending home 10 runs to tie the ballgame up at 16-16. Sophomore pitcher Ethan Sloan (1-0) came in the game during the sixth to stop the bleeding.

In the top of the seventh, Minot put up another run to take the lead, but the Rangers didn't even think about backing down. In the bottom of the eighth, a huge triple from junior Matt Marlow scored graduate student McKay Banks, evening the field at 17-17.

Junior Colten Chase followed with a RBI single to hand RU the lead back, 18-17. Sloan took down the Beavers in order in the ninth, giving Regis the victory.

Game Notes: The Rangers racked up 18 runs off 18 hits and had a pair of errors.

Chase had himself a day by going 6-6 in the box plus a career-high six RBI.

Graduate student Roger Riley was 4-5 and tied his career-high in runs scored with four.

Sophomore Braxton Boyle went 3-6 at the plate and scored three times, a career-high. 

Sophomore Reagan Guthrie had a game-high 11 putouts.

Sloan earned his first win of the season. He rang up five batters in just 3.1 innings of work.

Up Next for the Rangers: The four-game series will continue tomorrow. First pitch is set for 11 a.m.

  

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