Game 1 Box Score

Game 2 Box Score

Photo Gallery

DENVER, Colo. - Metro State split a doubleheader on Saturday at home with New Mexico Highlands (No. 12 ABCA/No. 6 NCBWA), falling 12-10 in 10 innings in game one, before exploding for an 11-3 victory in game two.  The two teams wrapped up the regular season with Saturday's game and will head into the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament on Wednesday in Kearney, Neb.  The Roadrunners (21-21 overall, 18-12 RMAC) will face Mesa State at 11 a.m. (CDT) on Wednesday and the Cowboys (35-10, 25-6 RMAC) will face Regis at 3 p.m. (CDT).

Game One
Four errors in the field handed Highlands five unearned runs in the nearly four-hour marathon.

The Cowboys took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first as Jason Carr drove in David Bustillos with a one-out double.  Carr finished the game 4-for-4 with three doubles and a home run for NMHU.

Metro State responded with patience at the plate in the bottom of the first.  After Zach Krueger (Holyoke, Colo./Holyoke H.S.) blasted a two-run home run over the 50-foot high net beyond the left field fence with nobody out, three straight Roadrunners walked to load the bases.  Cody Henry (Thornton, Colo./Legacy H.S.) drove in one run with a sacrifice fly after a strikeout.  Following a walk to Jacob Trimble (Danville, Ill./Schlarman H.S.) that loaded the bases again, Tommy Frikken (Arvada, Colo./Pomona H.S.) flew out to left to end the 37-minute first inning.

Phillip Rodriguez hit a two-run home run in the top of the second to tie the game at 3-3.

Metro State starter Bradshaw Perry (Aurora, Colo./Cherokee Trail H.S.) retired the final six batters he faced in the third and fourth innings before leaving due to a pitch count limit.  Reliever Ross MacDonald (Las Vegas, Nev./Bonanza H.S.) was greeted with a single up the middle and another double by Carr.  But Bustillos tried to score from first base on the double and was gunned out by 20 feet at home plate by centerfielder Chris Redding (Northglenn, Colo./Northglenn H.S.).  MacDonald would have escaped the inning unscathed, but the first error of the day extended the inning, allowing Carr to score on a bases loaded walk.

Brennan Brown (Thornton, Colo./Legacy H.S.) delivered an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game and the Roadrunners went in front 6-4 on a two-run double by Henry as his fly ball to the center field fence was lost in the sun.

The Cowboys responded with five runs in the top of the sixth, but just one was earned after another costly error extended the inning, allowing Brad Morgan to hit a three-run home run with two outs.

Henry led off the bottom of the seventh with a home run to right field and Trimble later scored to tie the game on a sharp single through the left side with two outs by David Fox (Lakewood, Colo./Faith Christian H.S.).  But Tommy Frikken (Arvada, Colo./Pomona H.S.) was caught in a rundown between second and third on the play to end the inning.

Carr led off the eighth with a home run against reliever Tony Weber (Elizabeth, Colo./Elizabeth H.S.), putthing NMHU ahead 10-9.

Metro State rallied in the bottom of the ninth as Krueger delivered a two-out single to right field, scoring Trimble, who led off with his fourth walk of the game.  Krueger then stole second, allowing the Cowboys to intentionally walk Fox.  Tyler Shaddy escaped the jam with a strikeout to end the threat.

Carr led off the 10th with a double as NMHU scored twice in the top of the inning to take the lead.  Pinch hitter Kevin Coughlin (Golden, Colo./Golden H.S.) was stranded on first in the bottom of the 10th to end the game.

Krueger led Metro State with four hits.

Game Two
The Roadrunners collected 14 hits, including six extra-base hits in the 11-3 thrashing.  Head coach Tom Carcione started three seniors who normally come off the bench in their final home game and the five seniors in the lineup combined to go 10-for-16 at the plate with two doubles, a triple and two home runs.

Cody Henry (Thornton, Colo./Legacy H.S.) and Tommy Frikken (Arvada, Colo./Pomona H.S.) each went 3-for-3 in their final home games and both drove in three runs.  Henry hit his fifth home run of the season and Frikken added a triple.  Nick Columbia (Lakewood, Colo./Lakewood H.S.) hit his second career home run and his first of the season, a three-run blast.  Redding also collected two hits and Marcel Dominguez (Carlsbad, N.M./Carlsbad H.S.) had a double.

Carr homered for the Cowboys in the top of the first, but starter Nate Van Bibber (Littleton, Colo./Douglas County H.S.) recovered for a strong outing.  The junior allowed two earned runs and six hits in five innings for the win.

The Roadrunners pushed four runs across in the bottom of the second as Perry and Henry led off with consecutive singles and Columbia walked to load the bases.  Everett Altman (Wheat Ridge, Colo./Wheat Ridge H.S.) tied the game with a groundout that scored Perry and Frikken followed with a two-run triple to right-center.  Redding drove in Frikken with a bunt single.

Metro State scored four more times in the third with three coming on a mammoth home run to center field.  Frikken later hit an RBI single to score Altman, who doubled with two outs.

Highlands added two in the fifth to cut the lead to 8-3, but Columbia hit a three-run homer to right field in the bottom of the inning.

Seniors Tyler Hensen (Lakewood, Colo./Bishop Machebeuf H.S.) and Sean Walter (Wiggins, Colo./Wiggins H.S.) each tossed scoreless innings in the sixth and seventh to close the game.