Denver - The Metropolitan State University of Denver baseball team dropped both games of Saturday's doubleheader against Colorado School of Mines, losing 8-3 in the first game and 7-2 in the second game.  MSU Denver to falls to 5-8 on the season and 1-2 in the RMAC with Mines improving to 9-6 overall and 2-1 in the RMAC. 
 
Senior Cameron Stroup (Arvada, Colo./Arvada West H.S.) took the mound for the Roadrunners in game one of the doubleheader for his second start of the season.  Stroup gave up three runs in the first inning and one in the second to go down 4-0, before his outing was cut short in the third when he took a hard liner to the hip and was pulled from the game.  In total, Stroup allowed four runs, two earned, on five hits with no walks.
 
Junior Ryan Baca (Loveland, Colo./Loveland H.S.) came into the game to replace Stroup on the mound.  Baca pitched through the sixth, allowing four more runs, of which only two were earned, on five hits, allowing two walks with three strikeouts.  Freshmen Hunter Hogoboom (Arvada, Colo./Pomona H.S.) closed out the seventh and final inning for the Roadrunners, giving up no runs and no hits.
 
MSU Denver scored its first run in the bottom of the second inning when junior Andrew Paust (Parker, Colo./Ponderosa H.S.) crushed a solo homer over the left field wall to make it a 4-1 game.  That marked Paust's fourth homerun and 11th RBI of the season
 
In the bottom of the third inning the Roadrunners plated two more to make it a tight 4-3 ball game.  Junior Reilly Mau (Longmont, Colo./Longmont H.S.) reached on an error and then advanced to second on a walk from Paust.  Junior Jake Ekman (Littleton, Colo./Dakota Ridge H.S.) also drew a walk to load the bases, and in the next at-bat sophomore Trent Maloney (Castle Rock, Colo./Douglas County H.S.) hit a double to right-center field to score Mau from third and Paust from second.
 
That would prove to be the last run of the game for MSU Denver, dropping the first game of the doubleheader 8-3.
 
Sophomore Jared Roley (Littleton, Colo./Heritage H.S.) got the start for the Roadrunners in game two, making his fourth appearance and third start of the season.  Roley gave up one run in the top of the first inning, before settling in and pitching five innings of scoreless baseball. 
 
Down 1-0, MSU Denver tied up the game in the bottom of the third to make it 1-1.  Senior Nick Comito (Lakewood, Colo./Mullen H.S.) led off the inning with a single, followed by another single from senior Jeff Levett (Parker, Colo./Chaparral H.S.).  Donaldson hit another single to left field to score Comito and tie up the game.
 
In the bottom of the fifth inning Comito led off with another single, and Levett moved him over to second with a sacrifice bunt.  In the next at-bat, Mau hit a single to drive in Comito from second and put MSU Denver up 2-1.
 
Roley came out again in the top of the seventh and proceeded to walk the bases full.  In the next at-bat Roley allowed a double that scored two, ending his day and giving the Orediggers a 3-2 lead.  In total Roley gave up five runs on six hits, allowing five walks with five strikeouts, and ultimately taking the loss on the day.
 
Hogoboom came into the game in the seventh to replace Roley, but was pulled after giving up two hits and two runs, giving Mines a 7-2 lead.  Freshmen Aaron Gjersee (Highlands Ranch, Colo./ThunderRidge H.S.) came in to replace Hogoboom and proceeded to record the final two outs to get out of the seventh inning.
 
MSU Denver failed to produce any runs in the bottom of the seventh, and lost the second game of the doubleheader 7-2.
 
MSU Denver will finish the four-game series against Colorado School of Mines on Sunday at noon at the Regency Athletic Complex.