Golden, Colo.- The Metropolitan State University of Denver baseball team fell 15-11 in the final game of its four game series against Colorado School of Mines on Sunday, March 19. The Roadrunners are now 10-12 overall and 6-6 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The Orediggers are 13-8 overall and 7-5 in the conference.
 
The first inning proved to be an offensive battle between the two sides with the Roadrunners putting up five runs in the first inning and the Orediggers scoring four. The Roadrunners scored all five of their runs off home runs, with senior Jake Thurston (Centennial, Colo./Grandview H.S.) hitting one out of the park to lead off the game for the Roadrunners. Junior Trent Maloney (Castle Rock, Colo./Douglas County H.S.) hit another one for a grand slam.  However, the Orediggers were able to answer back scoring four runs on one hit in the bottom of the inning.
 
With the Roadrunners being held hitless and scoreless in the top of the second the Orediggers went on to score three runs in the bottom of the second to steal the lead at 7-5.
 
MSU Denver made it back on the board in the top of the third with junior Cale O'Donnell (Fort Collins, Colo./Rocky Mountain H.S.) leading off hitting a home run to right field. Junior Donny Ortiz Jr. hit a single up the middle to score Maloney and freshman Dylan Nelson (Lakewood, Colo./D'Evelyn Jr/Sr High School) for the Roadrunners to regain the lead 8-7.
 
Colorado Mines continued to answer scoring four more runs off four hits in the bottom of the third to go up 11-8.
 
The Roadrunners took the edge in the fourth inning, scoring one run on a wild pitch while holding the Orediggers scoreless. But Colorado Mines countered, scoring one run off a home run in the fifth and one run in the sixth to take a 13-9 lead.
 
Following a scoreless seventh inning for both sides, O'Donnell sent another one out of the park for his second home run of the day scoring junior Sean Kennedy (Aurora, Colo./Grandview High School) as well to cut the lead to 13-11 going into the bottom of the eighth.
 
The final runs of the game would go to the Orediggers in the eighth scoring two more runs and sealing the win at 15-11.
 
The Roadrunners will return home for a four game series against Adams State. The first game will be at the Regency Athletic Complex on Friday, March 24 at 6 p.m.