@RoadrunnerSB: Resilient Roadrunners Earn Two Big Wins Over No. 6 Colorado Christian
LAKEWOOD, Colo. – The MSU Denver softball team didn't get down.
It got even. Twice.
Sent to a disappointing defeat Thursday after hitting a seventh-inning grand slam only to give up three runs in the bottom of the seventh, MSU Denver got a game-tying, sixth-inning homer by Genevieve Bower on Friday in the completion of a suspended game, scored the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh and held on for an impressive 6-5 win over No. 6 Colorado Christian.
Then, in the regularly-scheduled doubleheader, MSU Denver bounced back from a 9-7 defeat to beat the Cougars 3-0 behind the outstanding pitching of Maddy Wilson and Cheyenne Prieto.
"Our resiliency during this series was really impressive," MSU Denver coach Annie Van Wetzinga said. "It was a gut punch to get walked off in game one (Thursday), but the team turned the page really well and kept competing. That's not an easy thing to do and I'm proud of them for that."
The first win snapped the Cougars' 25-game winning streak.
At No. 6, Colorado Christian is the highest-ranked team that MSU Denver has beaten since defeating No. 1 North Georgia in the 2010 NCAA Tournament.
MSU Denver, which had already clinched third place in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, improved to 40-16 overall and 33-11 in league play. It's MSU Denver's highest win total since the 2015 NCAA Tournament team went 44-16 and gives the Roadrunners their most league wins since a 37-2 romp in 2010.
Ranked 10th in the South Central Region coming into the weekend, the big series split could potentially boost the Roadrunners into stronger contention for one of the region's eight spots in the NCAA Tournament.
"It was a total team effort in these games, and it was fun to watch them compete like they are a capable of," Van Wetzinga said.
The wins most likely knocked Colorado Christian (47-6, 39-5) out of a chance for the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's regular-season championship (Colorado Mesa needs to win three of four in its series against CSU Pueblo that concludes Saturday to clinch the title), and the chance to host the RMAC Tournament next week.
In the completion of the suspended game – rain, lightning and no lights at All-Star Park forced the suspension of Thursday's second game with the score 1-1 in the fourth inning – the Roadrunners took a 2-1 lead when the top of the fourth was completed, but then gave up three in the bottom of the fourth and another in the fifth to trail 5-2.
In the sixth, however, Shelby Robb singled, Jenna Medhus drew a two-out walk, and then Bower launched her three-run homer to left center.
"Our hitters did a good job of putting tough at-bats together and finding different ways on base," Van Wetzinga said. "Obviously we had some huge hits at key moments, highlighted by Genevieve's home run."
In the seventh, Adriana Bueno led off with a pinch-hit double, then Katie Maney re-entered and moved to third on a sacrifice by Kami Grammerstorf. Hannah DiFabio followed with a go-ahead RBI single.
Prieto finished it off in the circle, completing a 3 2/3-inning relief effort in which she allowed one run (unearned) on four hits.
MSU Denver jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first game of the scheduled doubleheader, and led 4-2 after 2 ½ innings, but Colorado Christian scored six in the third and another in the fourth before surviving a Roadrunner rally of three runs in the fifth, stranding the tying run in scoring position.
In the series finale, MSU Denver scored single runs in each of the first three innings, with Miah Hartvigsen pushing across a run on a squeeze bunt, Maney driving in the second with a sacrifice fly, and Miki Berg the third on an RBI single.
Wilson (10-3) pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowing two hits and two walks, then Prieto closed the door with 2 1/3 scoreless, two-hit innings for her second save. Prieto pitched six innings without allowing an earned run between the suspended game and the finale.
"Maddy and Chey were great in game four," Van Wetzinga said. "They attacked and kept their hitters off balance, with the defense making good plays behind them."
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