LAKEWOOD, Colo. - Metropolitan State University of Denver twice rallied from a four-run deficit to win 16-12 at Colorado Christian on Saturday in Game 1 of a doubleheader, before falling 5-2 in Game 2 at All-Star Park in Lakewood. The Roadrunners end the regular season 26-20 overall and 21-14 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, while CCU is 14-36.
MSU Denver will face Colorado State-Pueblo at 2 p.m. on Thursday in Grand Junction, Colorado, in the first round of the RMAC tournament. The Roadrunners will be the No. 3 seed.
Trailing 5-1 in Game 1, the Roadrunners scored four in the top of the fifth to tie the game, using a home run by
Jeff Levett (Parker, Colo./Chaparral H.S.) and a triple by
Alex Walker (Wheat Ridge, Colo./Wheat Ridge H.S.) in the inning. CCU answered with four in the bottom of the inning to lead 9-5 heading to the sixth inning.
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Mitch Gibbons (Franktown, Colo./Ponderosa H.S.) triple led to a two-run sixth inning and the Roadrunners tied it in the seventh with two more as Gibbons doubled in a run to tie the game.
The Cougars led 12-9 after three runs in the bottom of the seventh, but a four-run top-of-the-eighth put MSU Denver in front and CCU never recovered. Gibbons gave the Roadrunners a 13-12 lead on a two-out triple, his second of the game, scoring Levett and
Nick Comito (Lakewood, Colo./Mullen H.S.).
MSU Denver added three more in the ninth inning.
Gibbons finished the game 3-for-5 with five runs batted in, two triples and a double. Levett was 4-for-5 with four runs and three RBIs. Walker added three hits.
The Roadrunners finished with four triples in the game, one shy of the school record set in 1989. All nine starters either scored or drove in a run in the game.
Ryan Baca (Loveland, Colo./Loveland H.S.) picked up his ninth win of the season, tying the single-season school record for wins. He pitched 2 1/3 shutout innings out of the bullpen and struck out six.
The bats cooled in Game 2 as CCU held the Roadrunners to eight hits. Walker finished 2-for-3 with a home run and two stolen bases.
