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DENVER, Colo. - The No. 5 Metro State softball team clinched the regular season Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference championship on Saturday, shutting out Nebraska-Kearney 7-0 at home. The Roadrunners improved to 33-3 overall and 30-2 in the RMAC, while UNK fell to 12-22 overall and 11-13 in the RMAC.
It is Metro State's second consecutive conference championship in just the program's third year of existence.
Christie Robinson (Clinton, Wash./South Whidbey H.S.) fired fifth shutout in her past six starts, blanking the Lopers in seven innings, while striking out six and scattering five hits. She walked the first batter of the game, snapping a streak of 32.0 consecutive innings without a walk. In her past eight starts, Robinson has an ERA of 0.16 in 45.0 innings.
Designated player Julia Diehl (Littleton, Colo./Dakota Ridge H.S.), who entered the starting lineup on Saturday due to an injury to first baseman Jessica Haab (Colorado Springs, Colo./Pine Creek H.S.), went 3-for-3 with a home run to lead the offense. Amber Roundtree (Lakewood, Colo./Faith Christian H.S.) improved her team-leading batting average to .446 with two hits as well.
Robinson escaped her leadoff walk by starting a 1-6-3 double play to UNK's second batter of the game.
Metro State's first three batters reached in the bottom of the first and Kellie Nishikida (Pearl City, Hawaii/Pearl City H.S.) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force in the first run and Jennessa Tesone (Longmont, Colo./Niwot H.S.) drove in the second with a ground out between the pitcher's circle and first base.
The Roadrunners added three more in the second as Diehl blasted a one-out home run to right-center and Sarah Rusch (Westminster, Colo./Standley Lake H.S.) delivered a run-scoring double that brought home Roundtree. Molly Clark (Lakewood, Colo./Lakewood H.S.) later scored on a passed ball.
Roundtree then kept the shutout alive as she made a diving catch to end the top of the third on a soft line drive that likely would have scored a runner from second had it reached the outfield.
Metro State scored twice again in the fourth on a two-run triple by Tesone into the right field corner with two outs.
The Roadrunners stranded three runners in the final two innings, but Robinson did not need any more support, pitching three more scoreless innings. Saturday's game was the first start for Robinson since March 28--a span of seven starts--that Metro State did not win in less than seven innings. The Roadrunners won by the 8-run mercy rule in five innings in five of those starts and in six innings once.
The two teams will meet back at Metro State on Sunday for a tripleheader beginning at 10 a.m.
