EMPORIA, Kan. - A late comeback fell short as Metropolitan State University of Denver fell 13-5 at No. 6/17 Emporia State on Saturday. The Roadrunners dropped to 2-3 this season, while the Hornets improved to 2-0.

Jake Thurston (Centennial, Colo./Grandview H.S.) finished 2-for-3 with a triple and a home run. Nick Comito (Lakewood, Colo./Mullen H.S.) also had two hits.

Kris Lalk (Lakewood, Colo./Green Mountain H.S.) struck out 11 in six innings of relief, the most strikeouts for a Roadrunner since 2008 when Ted Jamison fanned 13 in a game vs. Colorado Christian.

MSU Denver scored all five of its runs in the final three innings. Marcus Bean (Fort Collins, Colo./Rocky Mountain H.S.) came home on a two-out triple by Thurston. Mitch Gibbons (Franktown, Colo./Ponderosa H.S.) drove in Chris Spirek (Arvada, Colo./Ralston Valley H.S.) with a base hit in the eighth.

Jake Thurston (Centennial, Colo./Grandview H.S.) led off the ninth with a home run. Alex Walker (Wheat Ridge, Colo./Wheat Ridge H.S.) had an RBI single and Gibbons scored the final run on a passed ball.

The two teams will wrap up the series on Sunday in Emporia.