LAS VEGAS, N.M. - The Metro State baseball team fell 19-8 to New Mexico Highlands on the road in Las Vegas, N.M., on Friday. The loss dropped the Roadrunners to 26-20 overall and 17-16 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, while the Cowboys improved to 34-16 and 24-10 in the RMAC.

Metro State scored in the first inning on a base hit by Tyree Abshire (Paonia, Colo./Paonia H.S.), but fell behind 4-1 by the end of the third inning. The Roadrunners got back within one after a two-out, two-run double by Chris Redding scored Brennan Brown (Thornton, Colo./Legacy H.S.) and Tommy Frikken (Arvada, Colo./Pomona H.S.) in the top of the fourth inning.

But New Mexico Highlands scored the next 13 runs, adding four in the fourth, three in the sixth and six in the seventh to take a 17-3 lead into the eighth inning. Matt McConnell (Mesa, Ariz./Dobson H.S.) led off the eighth inning with a solo home run to right field.

NMHU added two more in the bottom of the inning to lead 19-4. Metro State scored four in the top of the ninth. Everett Altman had a key one-out double that advanced Ben Christiansen to third base. Nick Columbia (Lakewood, Colo./Lakewood H.S.), Mike Coffey (Highlands Ranch, Colo./ThunderRidge H.S.) and Matt McConnell (Mesa, Ariz./Dobson H.S.) then reached on three consecutive walks to force in two runs. Jordan Stouffer (Fort Collins, Colo./Rocky Mountain H.S.) drove in Metro State's third run of the inning on a single and Abshire brought in the fourth in a sacrifice fly.

Joel Lockhart (Golden, Colo./Golden H.S.) suffered the loss for Metro State, lasting five innings. Redding and McConnell each led the team with two hits.

The two teams will meet again for a doubleheader on Saturday in Las Vegas, N.M.