DENVER - Metropolitan State University of Denver extended its winning streak to eight games after sweeping Adams State 7-6 and 5-2 on Saturday at The Regency Athletic Complex. The Roadrunners improved to 19-13 overall and 14-9 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, while ASU fell to 14-20 and 10-13.
The eight-game winning streak is the longest for the Roadrunners since 2008 when they won 11 in a row.
MSU Denver had two strong pitching performances from its starters as
Mike Thill (Littleton, Colo./Columbine H.S.) and
Julian Garcia (Fort Collins, Colo./Fossil Ridge H.S.) each allowed two run in six innings. In Game 1, Thill scattered five hits and struck out three, while Garcia allowed five hits and fanned eight in the second game.
Javi Vega (Chula Vista, Calif./Castle Park H.S.) picked up the save in Game 1, allowing an unearned run in 2/3 of an inning and
Ryan Baca (Loveland, Colo./Loveland H.S.) stranded two inherited runners in the seventh and retired all three batters he faced to earn the save in Game 2.
MSU Denver led 6-1 after the first inning of Game 1 as the first six batters reached base.
Trent Maloney (Castle Rock, Colo./Douglas County H.S.) and
Hunter Donaldson (Fort Collins, Colo./Fossil Ridge H.S.) each had a run-scoring single.
Darryl Baca (Loveland, Colo./Loveland H.S.) drove in two with a triple and
Jake Thurston (Centennial, Colo./Grandview H.S.) had a two-run double in the inning.
Maloney hit an RBI triple in the fourth to score
Mitch Gibbons (Franktown, Colo./Ponderosa H.S.) to push the lead to 7-2.
ASU scored four times in the seventh, but Vega stranded the tying run on base. Gibbons and Maloney each finished with a pair of hits.
Baca had an RBI single in the first inning and Maloney scored on a throwing error for an early 2-0 lead. The lead was 3-1 after the third inning when Donaldson drove in Maloney with a sacrifice fly to right field.
Leading 3-2, the Roadrunners added single runs in the fifth and sixth. Gibbons and Baca each had two hits in Game 2.
The two teams will play a game on Sunday at 12 p.m.
