DENVER - Darryl Baca (Loveland, Colo./Loveland H.S.) blasted the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the seventh inning over the left field wall to give Metropolitan State University of Denver a 5-4 win over No. 2/1 Colorado Mesa in Game 1 of a doubleheader. The Mavericks won the second game 8-0. The Roadrunners are now 23-19 overall and 18-13 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, while CMU is 39-6 and 31-4.

Baca's walk-off home run give MSU Denver the win over the highest-ranked opponent since beating the Mavericks when they were ranked No. 2 in 2009.

Mitch Gibbons (Franktown, Colo./Ponderosa H.S.) put the Roadrunners up 1-0 in the first with a double to right-center, scoring Jeff Levett (Parker, Colo./Chaparral H.S.) from first. They added three more runs in the second to lead 4-1, taking advantage of an error for two unearned runs.

The Mavericks got within 4-3 in the sixth and loaded the bases with nobody out in the seventh. Josh Moore (Grand Junction, Colo./Grand Junction H.S.) came on in relief and, after allowing an infield hit to a drawn-in infield, got a fielder's choice and double play to escape the jam with just one run allowed.

After Gibbons flew out to start the bottom of the inning, Baca crushed the next pitch over the fence to left.

Mike Thill (Littleton, Colo./Columbine H.S.) pitched well, allowing one earned run in five innings. Moore earned the victory in relief.

Gibbons finished 3-for-4 with two runs batted in and a double.

In Game 2, CMU freshman Bligh Madris stifled the Roadrunners in his first career start through six innings. But an error to start the seventh inning, followed by hits by Hunter Donaldson (Fort Collins, Colo./Fossil Ridge H.S.) and Alex Walker (Wheat Ridge, Colo./Wheat Ridge H.S.), and a double by Andrew Paust (Parker, Colo./Ponderosa H.S.) sent the Mavericks to the bullpen.

The two teams will meet for a nine-inning game at 11 a.m. on Sunday.