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DENVER, Colo. - Metro State fell 15-3 on Sunday at home to Mesa State in a non-conference game between the two Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference schools. Metro State fell to 18-19 overall, while MSC improved to 24-13.

Nate Van Bibber (Littleton, Colo./Douglas County H.S.) was strong through four innings on the hill, but fell apart in the fifth as the Mavericks tagged him for four runs in the fifth and knocked him out of the game with two outs.  Van Bibber had allowed two runs through four innings.  He opened the fifth by walking a batter and hitting the next, before allowing a three-run home run down the left field line that hooked just inside the foul pole by Jeff Popick.

The Roadrunners had cut the lead to 2-1 just before the rough start to the fifth, pushing across an unearned run in the bottom of the fourth.  David Fox (Lakewood, Colo./Faith Christian H.S.) led off by lining a single to center and the ball was misplayed by the centerfielder, allowing him to reach second.  Fox scored two batters later on a single to right-center by Brennan Brown (Thornton, Colo./Legacy H.S.).

The Mavericks led 10-1 after putting together a four-run, two-out rally in the seventh.  Four straight batters reached after two quick outs by reliever Sean Walter (Wiggins, Colo./Wiggins H.S.).  Ryan Shelton capped the inning with a three-run home run to left.

The Roadrunners got two runs back in the eighth with a two-out rally of their own.  Anthony Sylvester (Morrison, Colo./D'Evelyn H.S.), Eric Lopez (Hayden, Ariz./Hayden H.S.), Brett Bowman (Colorado Springs, Colo./Rampart H.S.) and Sean Reeves (Arvada, Colo./Ralston Valley H.S.) reached on four consecutive singles with two outs as Bowman and Reeves drove in Sylvester and Lopez.

MSC added five runs in the ninth to put the game away.

Reeves led Metro State with two hits.  Nine others had one hit each.

Dylan Evans earned the win for the Mavericks, throwing 132 pitches in eight innings, scattering 11 hits and striking out nine with just one walk.  Only two of the three runs he allowed were earned.

Metro State will face Colorado Christian next weekend for a three-game series at a site to be determined.