Game 1 Box Score

Game 2 Box Score

SILVER CITY, N.M. - The No. 4 Metro State softball team swept New Mexico Highlands twice by the mercy rule on Saturday, winning 14-0 and 13-0 in five innings each in a neutral site doubleheader in Silver City, N.M.  The Roadrunners improved to 35-3 overall, including 31-2 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, while the Cowgirls fell to 12-24 overall and 8-19 in the RMAC.  Metro State clinched the East Division regular season championship on Friday and can clinch the overall RMAC regular season championship next weekend.

Game One
Christie Robinson (Clinton, Wash./South Whidbey H.S.) allowed a one-out double in the first inning, but that was the only hit Highlands could come up with against her as she shut down the Cowgirls.  Robinson did not walk a batter and has now gone 32 consecutive innings without allowing a walk.  The Preseason RMAC Pitcher of the Year continues to distance herself from the rest of the RMAC as she holds the lead in ERA and wins.  In her past seven outings, Robinson has posted a 7-0 record and 0.18 ERA in 38.0 innings, allowing just 28 hits, two walks and striking out 20.

On the other side of the field, Metro State's offense was very alive, using 12 walks and six hits to score 14 runs.

For the second day in a row, Metro State put up a double digit run total in an inning.  The Roadrunners crossed the plate 11 times in the second inning on Saturday after scoring 13 times in the third inning of game on on Friday against Western New Mexico.

The first five batters reached for Metro State in the second inning, four on walks.  After a strikeout, the next five batters all walked and Jennessa Tesone (Longmont, Colo./Niwot H.S.) drilled a three-run double later in the inning.

Metro State pushed three more across in the fifth on a two-run double by Sarah Rusch (Westminster, Colo./Standley Lake H.S.) and a bases loaded walk to Tesone.

Tesone drove in five runs in the game.

Game Two
Metro State's bats were hotter in game two, connecting for 10 hits, while strill reaching on nine walks.  Rusch went 2-for-3 with four runs batted in and Kellie Nishikida (Pearl City, Hawaii/Pearl City H.S.) was 2-for-4 with six RBIs.  Tesone and Lauren Hainlen (Parker, Colo./Chaparral H.S.) each had two hits as well.

Julia Diehl (Littleton, Colo./Dakota Ridge H.S.) allowed just three hits in five innings, while striking out six and walking just one for the win.

Nishikida and Tesone hit back-to-back home runs in the top of the first as Metro State took a 4-0 lead after Nishikida's three-run bomb and Tesone's solo shot.

The Roadrunners added seven more in the second, highlighted by a grand slam by Rusch, an RBI triple by Nishikida, and RBI singles by Aubree Maul (Fort Collins, Colo./Rocky Mountain H.S.) and Hainlen.

Nishikida also drove in single runs in the third and fifth innings on groundouts.  She scored Molly Clark (Lakewood, Colo./Lakewood H.S.), who led off the third with a walk and Rusch, who led off the fifth with a double.

Metro State will host Nebraska-Kearney for a four-game series next weekend on Saturday and Sunday.