DURANGO, Colo. - The No. 14 Metro State softball team hit five home runs in a doubleheader on Saturday, defeating Fort Lewis 8-2 and 7-3 in Durango, Colo. The Roadrunners are on a 10-game winning streak and are now 22-4 overall and 15-1 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The Skyhawks dropped to 9-13 overall and 6-10 in the RMAC.
Game 1: Sarah Rusch, Jennessa Tesone and Tara Mickelson each hit home runs to lead Metro State to an 8-2 victory. Kellie Nishikida, Rusch and Tesone each had two hits as well and Tesone drove in three runs to help the cause. Christie Robinson earned the victory to improve to 13-1 this season, with wins in her past 12 appearances. The junior struck out two and scattered six hits.
Metro State threatened to score in the first as Amber Roundtree led off with a single and stole second base, but Rusch lined into a double play to end the inning. Fort Lewis took a brief 1-0 lead, manufacturing a run after a leadoff base hit by Chelena Coulston.
The Roadrunners took a 2-1 lead in the top of the second. Mickelson hit a one-out home run to center to tie the game and Corrie Nishikida later scored on a ground out by Danni Hedstrom.
After the Skyhawks tied the game in the bottom of the second, the Roadrunners scored the final six runs of the contest. They added two in the top of the third to take a 4-2 lead. Kellie Nishikida, Rusch and Tesone hit consecutive singles to get the scoring going, with Tesone driving in Nishikida and Rusch scoring on a fielder's choice by Mickelson.
In the fifth inning, Rusch drilled a two-run home run to center to score Nishikida and put the Roadrunners in front 6-2. Tesone added a two-run shot in the seventh for some insurance runs.
Robinson retired the final 10 Skyhawk batters of the game.
Game 2: In what started as a pitcher's duel, Metro State did not score until the fifth inning, but went on to win 7-3. The Roadrunners managed just three hits in the first four innings, but had 10 in the final three innings as they scored four in the fifth, two in the sixth and one in the seventh.
Tara Mickelson had another big game, pounding out three hits, including another home run to tie her for the team lead with seven on the season. Danni Hedstrom also had three hits, including a double. Amber Roundtree and Kellie Nishikida also had multi-hit games. Nishikida delivered a three-run home run as well.
Fort Lewis took a 1-0 lead in the third following a leadoff walk and a one-out double by Desirea Gil.
Metro State finally got on the board in the fifth inning. Following a strikeout to begin the inning, Hedstrome ripped a double to left-center and scored one batter later on Jessica Haab's base hit through the left side to tie the game at 1-1. Following a single by Roundtree, Nishikida drilled a three-run home run to right to give the Roadrunners a 4-1 lead.
Mickelson led off the sixth with a home run to left-center. Corrie Nishikida then walked an stole second. Following a strike out, Hedstrom delivered an RBI single up the middle to put Metro State in front 6-1.
The Roadrunners added another in the seventh on Mickelson's double to center that scored Kellie Nishikida, who led off the inning with a single.
Fort Lewis made things interesting in the bottom of the seventh. The Skyhawks cut Metro State's lead to 7-3 with two outs before loading the bases. After Brittany Moss walked in a run, she got a called third strike on pinch hitter Denae Benally to end the game.
Moss struck out eight and allowed just three runs in seven innings, despite allowing nine hits and five walks, to earn the win.
The two teams will meet again for a doubleheader on Sunday in Durango.
