SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The Metropolitan State University of Denver baseball team dropped both games of a doubleheader on Friday to California State University, San Marcos.
The Roadrunners dropped game one 6-0, and lost game two by a score of 7-3.
Junior left-hander Logan Soole (Louisville, Colo./Monarch) took the mound for MSU Denver in the opening game and looked sharp early on, giving up just one unearned run on one hit through the first two innings.
Soole was roughed up a bit in the third inning, giving up two more runs on a two-run home run to center field by Grant Buck.
San Marcos would add another run off Soole, ending his start after four innings. Soole finished the day giving up four runs, three of them earned, on six hits with five strikeouts and two walks. He also added a hit at the plate.
Cal State San Marcos pitcher Mike Lopez was outstanding. The redshirt senior threw eight innings, giving up just four hits and walking none while striking out 12.
Game two started much better for the Roadrunners, but still ended with the same bitter taste. Senior pitcher Javi Vega (Chula Vista, Calif./Castle Park) came out of the gate strong, striking out three in the first two innings.
Vega finished with a solid line after allowing one run on five hits over 4 1/3 innings, with no walks and four strikeouts. He threw 73 pitches.
"Javi pitched his tail off and deserved to win," MSU Denver coach Ryan Strain said. "First time in his college career pitching in his home state with his whole family there. He really competed today and gave us a chance to win."
The Roadrunners jumped on San Marcos early when junior shortstop Ty Lightley (Littleton, Colo./Dakota Ridge) laced a triple into the left-centerfield gap to score senior catcher Draven Adame (Lamar, Colo./Lamar), putting MSU Denver up 1-0 in the top of the third.
A two-run homer by senior Jake Kistaitis (Omaha, Neb./Millard West) in the fourth put the Roadrunners up 3-0.
San Marcos got a run back in the fifth, and the Roadrunners went into the sixth inning leading 3-1, and that's where the wheels fell off.
San Marcos went on to score six in the bottom of the sixth to take a 7-3 lead, and the Cougars would win the game by the same score.
"We tried to get a little bit going game two but still left a lot out there and left too many guys on base in key situations," Strain said. 'We didn't capitalize in key situations. [Cal State San Marcos] did and that was the difference."
The two teams will face off again this Sunday. The game has been moved to David Wells Stadium in Point Loma, Calif. in advance of the heavy rain expected to hit on Saturday.
