ST. GEORGE, Utah – The Metropolitan State University of Denver softball team split contests against Hawai'i-Hilo and Northwest Nazarene (Idaho) on Friday at the Dixie State Courtyard Classic in St. George, Utah, dropping an 8-4 early afternoon game to the Vulcans before ending the day with a 6-2 victory over the Nighthawks.

The Roadrunners got off to a hot start in the opener, grabbing a 2-0 first-inning lead on Celyn Whitt's (Broomfield, Colo./Legacy) two-run double. The Vulcans responded with four runs over the next two innings, but do-it-all star Darby McGhee (Camarillo, Calif./Adolfo Camarillo) tied things up with a two-run homer to dead center in the fifth.

Hawai'i-Hilo finally got to relief pitcher Julia Heitz (Queen Creek, Ariz./Queen Creek) – who had held the Vulcans mostly in check since entering in the second inning – in the bottom of the sixth, taking the lead on an RBI single. UHH centerfielder Rayla Jacobs-Kea provided the dagger later in the inning, clearing the previously-loaded bases with a three-run double.

Whitt was 2-for-2 with two RBIs and a sacrifice in the opener, while McGhee also provided two hits and two RBIs on her home run, her second of the season.

The nightcap victory over Northwest Nazarene – which was selected to win the Great Northwest Athletic Conference – was arguably the most impressive team effort of the season for coach Annie Van Wetzinga's crew.

"It was a really good team win with different people coming up with big hits up and down the lineup," Van Wetzinga said. "With (Ari) Valdez at the bottom of the lineup, she had a couple big hits. Celyn Whitt (Broomfield, Colo./Legacy). (Koryna Wright (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Rancho Cucamonga)) had the big home run and even before that, she roped a couple right at 'em. (Rebecca) Gonzales got back on track. It was just different people putting together good at-bats, up and down the lineup, which was huge."

But it wasn't only hitting that did the trick. Senior Kylee Burnside (Idaho Falls, Idaho/Skyline) went 6 2/3 strong in the circle, giving up just a single earned run en route to her second win of the year.

"She stayed kind of within herself, didn't try do too much, let the defense help her," Van Wetzinga said. "That's the kind of pitcher she is, keeping the batters off balance with the changeup, keeping the ball low and getting those ground balls. It was great just to see her steady and she didn't get overly rattled when runners were on base. We worked out of a lot of jams, which was awesome."

MSU Denver started the scoring early once again on a JJ Sheppard (Fountain Valley, Calif./Fountain Valley) sacrifice fly in the second inning, while her sister Laney Sheppard (Fountain Valley, Calif./Fountain Valley) punched an RBI single to right field just two batters later to score Whitt for the 2-0 lead. Valdez, Gonzales and McGhee strung together three consecutive singles to start the third inning, and Valdez scored on McGhee's hit to extend the lead to 3-0.

Northwest Nazarene pieced together a scoring chance in the fourth inning, getting a run back on a wild pitch, but the comeback wouldn't last long.

Sophomore Koryna Wright (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Rancho Cucamonga) stepped to the plate with two outs in the bottom of the fifth and launched a two-run dinger to left, her first homer of the year, to give MSU Denver a 5-1 lead. The Nighthawks responded with a run in the top of the sixth, but MSU Denver got it back in the bottom half of the inning thanks to a defensive miscue.

Northwest Nazarene didn't go down easily, rallying in the top of the seventh as a single-double combo put runners on second and third with no outs. After a lineout, Burnside and catcher Jasmine Wessel (Thornton, Colo./Horizon) connected on the defensive play of the tournament so far for MSU Denver, as Burnside knocked down a hard-hit grounder and threw to Wessel at home while still seated on the ground. The senior catcher swiped her glove back across her body, tagging the runner just in time for the second out.

McGhee then entered the circle after a walk loaded the bases. With the potential tying run at the plate, McGhee induced an easy popup to third to end the game.

"They'd seen (Burnside) a lot, so then they're working on making their adjustments and being patient," Van Wetzinga said. "We had Darby in relief, that was the plan. It was just trying to be strategic about when to pull the trigger. We definitely felt like with the tying run at the plate, that was the time to change up the pace. They're very different pitchers."

It worked, and MSU Denver got its second win of the season over arguably the best team it has faced so far. Burnside's season ERA dropped to 2.38 with the strong start on Friday, while McGhee's batting average is up to a whopping .500 as she has hit safely in eight of MSU Denver's nine games.

The Roadrunners will play one more game in the Dixie State Courtyard Classic, a 10 a.m. matchup with Montana State-Billings on Saturday, before returning home from Utah.