Denver—The Metropolitan State University of Denver baseball team defeated Colorado School of Mines 5-1 on Sunday afternoon to improve to 6-8 overall and 2-2 in the RMAC, with Mines falling to 9-7 overall and 2-2 in the RMAC. The Roadrunners split this weekend's four-game series with the Orediggers 2-2.
Sophomore
Javi Vega (Chula Vista, Calif./Castle Park H.S.) took the mound for the Roadrunners in his third start of the season, coming into the day boasting an impressive 1.38 ERA and 1-0 record. Vega pitched dominantly against the Orediggers, throwing only 90 pitches and recording 20 groundouts throughout nine innings en route to his second victory of the season. He allowed one run on seven hits with no walks and three strikeouts.
Junior
Jake Thurston (Centennial, Colo./Grandview H.S.) led off the third inning with a single, and then scored on a double from junior
Jake Ekman (Littleton, Colo./Dakota Ridge H.S.) to put MSU Denver up 1-0. Junior
Reilly Mau (Longmont, Colo./Longmont H.S.) knocked a single to score Ekman from second to extend the lead to 2-0.
In the bottom of the fifth inning Thurston led off again for the Roadrunners, reaching on an error, before Ekman smacked a two-run homerun over the left field wall to put MSU Denver up 4-0.
The Orediggers responded with a homerun of their own in the top of the sixth to make it a 4-1 ballgame, but that would prove to be their only run of the game. In the bottom of the frame, junior
Andrew Paust (Parker, Colo./Ponderosa H.S.) drew a leadoff walk, and then moved to second on a single by sophomore
Trent Maloney (Castle Rock, Colo./Douglas County H.S.). Thurston hit a deep sacrifice fly to left field to score Paust, making it 5-1.
Vega continued to cruise through the Mines lineup in the later innings, throwing only 64 pitches through the first 24 outs. Sophomore
Hunter Donaldson (Fort Collins, Colo./Fossil Ridge H.S.) had two spectacular diving catches in left field in the eighth and ninth innings to help Vega close out the game and secure the victory.
After a season opening 17-game home stand, the Roadrunners will go on the road to face #8 Colorado Mesa on Friday, March 11.