DENVER, Colo. - Metro State's baseball team held on for two victories on Friday, winning 6-4 in both games of a doubleheader against Nebraska-Kearney at Auraria Field in Denver. The Roadrunners improved to 21-16 overall and 12-12 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The Lopers dropped to 12-26 overall and 9-16 in the RMAC.
Game 1
Matt McConnell (Mesa, Ariz./Dobson H.S.) and Jordan Stouffer (Fort Collins, Colo./Rocky Mountain H.S.) each had two hits and to lead Metro State. Ted Jamison (Lakewood, Colo./Green Mountain H.S.) earned the win on the mound, working the first 5.1 innings. Sean Walter got the final two outs of the sixth inning without allowing a run and Kyle Orgill pitched a perfect seventh to earn the save.
Nebraska-Kearney led 3-0 with one run in the first and two in the third. Chris Redding reached on a one-out walk in the third to start a three-run rally. Following a ground out, McConnell, Stouffer and Abshire reached on consecutive singles, with McConnell driving Redding and Abshire driving in runs to get the Roadrunners on the board. Following Abshire's single, Dakota Nahm (Englewood, Colo./Thomas Jefferson H.S.) reached on an error by the third baseman, allowing Stouffer to score to tie the game.
Metro State took a 5-3 lead in the fourth. Nick Marfitano doubled down the left field line with one out and scored on a base hit by Redding. Following a fly out, Nebraska-Kearney made another defensive miscue as McConnell reached on an error and Redding scored to score Metro State's fifth run.
The Lopers got on run back in the top of the sixth on a leadoff home run by Andrew Haake. But the Roadrunners maintained the two-run lead as Marcel Dominguez (Carlsbad, N.M./Carlsbad H.S.) scored on UNK's third error of the game with two outs for a 6-4 lead. Orgill pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning to seal the win.
Game 2
Brennan Brown (Thornton, Colo./Legacy H.S.) and Tommy Frikken (Arvada, Colo./Pomona H.S.) each had two hits for the Roadrunners in the second game. Both players also scored a run and drove in another. Ross MacDonald allowed just two earned runs in 5.2 innings to pick up the victory. Kyle Orgill earned his second save of the day, pitching another perfect ninth inning.
The Roadrunners trailed 2-0 in the top of the first after Nate Swearer drilled a two-run home run with two outs following an error.
Dakota Nahm (Englewood, Colo./Thomas Jefferson H.S.) got things started in the bottom of the second inning, reaching first base to start the inning on a hit by pitch. Brown then delivered an RBI triple to right and Brett Bowman (Colorado Springs, Colo./Rampart H.S.) followed with a double to right-center to tie the game. Joey Widhalm (Parker, Colo./Chaparral H.S.) and Frikken then reached on consecutive singles, with Frikken's base hit to left-center bringing in Bowman to give the Roadrunners a 3-2 lead. Metro State was not finished there, however, as Widhalm scored on a ground out by Chris Redding and Frikken came home on a base hit by Mike Coffey (Highlands Ranch, Colo./ThunderRidge H.S.) to put Roadrunners in front 5-2.
Swearer added a solo home run in the third and the Lopers got within one at 5-4 in the sixth with another run.
Brown led off the bottom of the sixth by reaching on a walk and pinch runner Marcel Dominguez (Carlsbad, N.M./Carlsbad H.S.) scored two batters later on a double by pinch hitter Tyree Abshire (Paonia, Colo./Paonia H.S.) for an insurance run to stretch the lead to 6-4.
For the second consecutive game, Orgill pitched a 1-2-3 seventh to end the game.
The two teams will meet again on Saturday for a nine-inning game beginning at noon at Auraria Field.
