DENVER - The Metropolitan State University of Denver baseball team earned its first two wins of the season over Sioux Falls (S.D.) behind a three home run-day from senior Matt Malkin (Broomfield, Colo./Monarch) to go along with an eight-strikeout performance from sophomore Austin Stone (Arvada, Colo./Faith Christian).
MSU Denver won the opener 5-1 and the nightcap 13-3.
Malkin, a transfer who was a part-time starter last year at Alabama, had gone 3 for 8 in a season-opening series at Cal State San Marcos but the homers were his first of the season.
"That's what I'm here for," said Malkin, who had four RBIs in each game. "I haven't always had the power. I've had to work for it. But I'm appreciative of it."
Stone was lights out in the opener, walking none in five innings. Stone gave up just one unearned run in the fourth inning.
"He can really pitch," MSU Denver coach Ryan Strain said. "He throws strikes and gives hitters fits, and when you command the zone like that, you're going to give yourself a chance to win."
Malkin provided the biggest blow on the offensive side, hitting a towering fly ball that just cleared the left field wall for a three-run homer, his first with MSU Denver, to put the Roadrunners up 5-1 in the fifth. Malkin had two hits and four RBIs in the game.
Senior Jake Kistaitis (Omaha, Neb./Millard West) added three hits and an RBI and had a stellar afternoon defensively at first base, making multiple plays that helped the Roadrunners keep a comfortable lead late in the game.
The bullpen was par for the course with the rest of the Roadrunners in game one, combining to throw four innings without giving up any hits.
Junior Ty Lightley (Littleton, Colo./Dakota Ridge) and sophomore Logan Soole (Louisville, Colo./Monarch) added two hits as well.
Game two was more of the same for the Roadrunners. The team finished with 16 hits and won the game, which included an eight-run eighth.
Malkin was again at the center of it all, smacking two home runs. The first came in the bottom of the fifth and was an absolute missile that left the yard faster than a 16-seed in March.
On the very next pitch after Malkin's home run, junior Cade Peters (Stockton, Calif./St. Mary's) ripped a ball over the left field fence to put MSU Denver up 4-1.
Malkin's second home run came in the eighth inning, a two-run moonshot that put the Roadrunners up 13-3.
Soole and senior Javi Vega (Chula Vista, Calif./Castle Park) shared pitching duties, with Soole throwing four innings and giving up just one run. Vega continued his excellent start to 2019, throwing three hitless innings and adding four punchouts.
Junior Cade Crader (Aurora, Colo./Grandview) and senior Taylor Petersen (Gilbert, Ariz./Highland) combined to throw the final two innings, giving up two unearned runs.
Overall for the day the Roadrunners combined for 18 runs on 27 hits and hit four home runs in the process.
"It was good to bounce back and play well," Strain said. "It's good to be at home, we're going to be home for about a month. I think that's going to help us, and hopefully we can get on a roll."
MSU Denver and Sioux Falls will battle again on Saturday beginning at noon.
