Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Game 1 Box Score

Game 2 Box Score

CHADRON, Neb. - Metro State pulled off two dramatic wins at Chadron State on Saturday to clinch a spot in the upcoming Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament and improve to .500 for the first time this season since the team was 1-1 after the season's opening day. Metro won the first game Saturday 5-3 in eight innings and blew an 11-0 lead in game two, but came back for a thrilling 13-12 victory. The Roadrunners improved to 24-24 overall and 21-15 in the RMAC, while CSC fell to 16-31 and 13-23.

The two wins took huge hits from several players, none bigger than a pair from sophomore Brittney Padilla (Pueblo, Colo./Pueblo Central H.S.), who connected on her first two career home runs, including an eighth-inning winner in game one.

Game One
Kelsey Tillery (Windsor, Colo./Windsor H.S.) led off the game with her Division II-leading 21st home run of the season and the Roadrunners led 2-0 after the top of the first following Aubree Maul (Fort Collins, Colo./Rocky Mountain H.S.)'s RBI single to score Molly Clark (Lakewood, Colo./Lakewood H.S.).

The Eagles tied the game in the bottom of the fifth on a two-run home run by Danielle L'Argent.

Tillery hit a one-out double in the top of the seventh. Metro finally broke the 2-2 tie when Tillery's pinch runner Amanda Taney (Conifer, Colo./Conifer H.S.) scored on a two-out single by Kasey Nichols (Springville, Calif./Porterville H.S.).

However, the lead did not last as Amy Schwartz led off the bottom of the seventh with a solo home run, sending the game to extra innings.

With two outs in the top of the eighth, Padilla hit the game-winning homer for a 5-3 lead.

Maul, who pitched all eight innings for Metro, survived a one-out single in the bottom of the eighth to complete the win. She scattered six hits, did not walk a batter, and struck out eight.

Game Two
The Roadrunners dominated instantly, crushing a pair of home runs in the first inning. Nichols struck first with a two-out solo shot to left-center, and Chelsea Brew (Colorado Springs/Rampart H.S.) did the same two batters later for a 3-0 lead.

The Roadrunners broke out with their biggest inning of the season in the second, scoring eight times on just four hits, using a pair of CSC errors.

The first four batters reached base, capped by a grand slam by Clark, her 40th career home run. Annalyse Garcia (Frederick, Colo./Frederick H.S.) came through with a two-out, two-run single, and Padilla finished the inning with her second two-run homer of the day one batter later.

Metro still held the 11-0 lead heading into the bottom of the fourth when the Eagles scored twice. But Chadron put up its own eight-run inning in the bottom of the fifth, cutting the lead to 12-10 after the Roadrunners scored a run on a single by Nichols in the top of the inning.

When starter Jordyn Randolph (Arvada, Colo./Pomona H.S.) allowed three of the first four batters to reach base, the Roadrunners brought in Brittany Moss (Northglenn, Colo./Northglenn H.S.), who had a 0.95 earned run average in 22 career innings against CSC entering the game. The Eagles roughed her up as all five batters she faced reached base before Metro again went to the bullpen, bringing back game-one starter Maul. After a walk, Maul retired the final two batters to escape the inning with a one-run lead.

After the Roadrunners left runners on second and third in the top of the sixth, Chadron State pushed two across with two outs against Maul to tie the game at 12-12.

Clark led off the seventh with a walk, moved to second on a wild pitch, and advanced to third on a passed ball with nobody out. Following a walk to Nichols, the Eagles got two strikeouts before Garcia came through with a go-ahead single to center, scoring Clark for a 13-12 lead.

Maul set down Chadron in order in the bottom of the seventh for the win to improve to 17-7 on the season. She struck out five in just 2 2/3 innings.

The Roadrunners took advantage of 10 walks by Eagles pitchers and had 10 hits, including two from Nichols, Maul and Garcia. The 10 walks were the most Metro batters have drawn in a game since 2010.

The two teams will play a doubleheader again on Sunday in Chadron, Neb. Metro State still has an outside chance to host the conference tournament and win the regular season conference title. That accomplishment would require two Metro wins on Sunday and two losses from Colorado Mines, Colorado State-Pueblo, Nebraska-Kearney and Colorado Christian.