DENVER, Colo. - The Metro State baseball team won a wild game on Sunday 14-13 over Regis University at Auraria Field as the two teams combined for 37 hits. The Roadrunners won the game in the bottom of the ninth on a two-run single by Tyree Abshire.
It was the only game of the four-game series that was actually played over the weekend as Friday's single game and Saturday's doubleheader were both postponed due to snow on the field from Thursday's storm. The three remaining games will likely be made up next week as non-conference games. The Roadrunners improved to 18-12 overall and 9-8 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference with the win, while the Rangers dropped to 13-17 overall and 6-11 in the RMAC.
Matt McConnell led the offensive attack for Metro State with four hits in six at bats, while hitting one of 10 home runs between the two teams in the game. Mike Coffey had three hits, while Jordan Stouffer, Brett Bowman and Tommy Frikken each had two. Stouffer, Dakota Nahm and Bowman also homered in the victory.
Joel Lockhart battled through seven innings, allowing eight runs to earn the no-decision. Kyle Orgill pitched the ninth inning to pick up the victory.
Jesus Arzaga and Dave Holland had big games for the Rangers at the plate. Arzaga went 5-for-6 and drove in three runs, while homering once. Holland was a perfect 4-for-4 with three solo home runs. Patrick Farrell missed hitting for the cycle by a single. Eric Anderson suffered the loss.
Regis hit four solo home runs in the first two innings and led 5-0 after the top of the third inning. Metro State got on the board in the bottom of the inning. Coffey and McConnell reached on consecutive one-out singles before Stouffer drilled a three-run home run to right field. Abshire and Nahm followed with walks and Abshire later scored on a single by Marcel Dominguez to cut the lead to 5-4.
The Roadrunners took a 6-5 lead in the fourth on a two-run home run by McConnell, driving in Coffey who had doubled one batter before.
Metro State added another in the fifth on a double to right-center by Frikken, scoring Nahm.
After Regis cut the lead to 7-6 in the sixth on Holland's second homer of the day, the Roadrunners put up five runs in the bottom of the inning to take a 12-6 lead. With two outs in the inning, Stouffer and Abshire reached on back-to-back walks and Nahm drilled a three-run home run to left. Bowman gave Metro State back-to-back home runs, hitting one to center field after Nahm's blast. After Dominguez walked, he stole second and third and scored on a throwing error by Regis' catcher for the fifth run of the inning.
The Rangers came back with two in the seventh and two in the eighth. They took a 13-12 lead in the ninth inning with three runs with two outs, as six consecutive batters reached before Orgill forced a pop out to end the inning.
Frikken led off the bottom of the ninth with a single to left. Following a line out to center by Chris Redding, Coffey reached on an error and McConnell reached on an infield single to load the bases. After a strikeout, Abshire drilled the game-winning hit to center field, scoring Redding and Coffey.
Metro State's next scheduled games come next weekend when it travels to Colorado State-Pueblo for a four-game series following a scrimmage on Wednesday against Colorado State's club team.
