GREELEY, Colo. – The Metropolitan State University of Denver baseball team proved it wasn't intimidated by a team from a higher division as the Roadrunners routed NCAA Division I Northern Colorado on the road, 17-6, at Jackson Field on Tuesday.

"We played well today obviously," coach Ryan Strain said. "We swung the bats really well. We gave up some at-bats (and) chances to score some more runs, but it's hard to be upset with 15 hits, five home runs and 17 runs scored. I thought our guys came ready to play today, (which) was the biggest thing."

The Roadrunners improved to a 17-7 record while the Bears dropped to 5-15.

Senior Matt Malkin continued his hot streak and broke the Roadrunners' single-season home run record in the win, going 5 for 6 with two home runs, including a grand slam, a double, six RBIs and three runs scored. He improved his average over the last 11 games to .545 and he has 15 homers in his last 14 games.

Malkin's 18 homers broke the previous school record of 17 set by Jordan Stouffer in 2010. With 25 games left in the regular season, Malkin -- a part-time starter at Alabama last year who just transferred to MSU Denver at the semester break -- needs just six more homers to join the program's top 10 for career home runs.

Malkin padded in his national Division II leads in both homers and RBIs per game with yet another outburst.

MSU Denver needs one win to tie the school record of 12 straight victories, which was set in a streak that started at the end of the 2001 season and continued into 2002.

With a 1-0 lead midway through in the first, junior Logan Soole homered to gave the Roadrunners a 3-0 advantage. Chase Anderson, who scored on the homer, had an RBI single to center and brought freshman infielder Zach Paschke home to break the scoreless tie.

Malkin, who doubled to right field, capped the opening inning when he scored on junior  Cade Peters' left-field singleto give MSU Denver a 4-0 lead.

But Malkin was just getting started.

After UNC scored a run in the bottom of the first, Malkin blasted a second-inning grand slam to all but put the game out of reach.

The Roadrunners tacked on one more insurance before the second ended. Peters tripled to right on the next at-bat and scored on a bases-loaded balk, extending the Roadrunners' lead, 9-1.

Though MSU Denver had all the runs it needed through two innings, the Bears staged a minor comeback at the bottom of the fifth.

Following Anderson's three-run homer to start the fifth, which upped the Roadrunners' lead to 12-1, the Bears trimmed their deficit by three runs at the bottom half of the frame.

After a scoreless sixth for both teams, the Roadrunners added at least one run in the final three innings.

Malkin's RBI single to left scored Paschke in the seventh and made the score 13-4. Paschke came back to the plate again in the eighth and contributed a two-run single to center, which brought home both junior infielder Zach Walsh and senior outfielder Aaron Germani. Walsh and Germani walked and reached base on an error, respectively, to start the inning and grew the lead to a 15-4 advantage.

After the Bears scored two in the eighth, the Roadrunners expanded on their lead in the ninth on solo homers from Malkin and Walsh.

Though the offense took center stage during the game, Strain gave credit to the Roadrunners' remarkable play in the field as well.

"We played good defense, and then, (what) I was most happy with is we got some work for guys who haven't been able to pitch a whole lot this season," Strain said. "They got time, and they really pitched well. I've said we have a deep pitching staff, and we just haven't gotten opportunities from some guys that deserve it, and so I was excited to be able to see them come out and really throw the ball well."

Junior left-hander Zach Sundine earned his first win for the Roadrunners with his three innings of work in which he gave up one run on two hits.

Carter Akerfelds, Nick Ulmer, Eric Cox and  Taylor Petersen each struck out a pair of Bears in their combined six innings of relief.

Freshman right-handed pitcher Matt Boyd (0-1) took the loss, giving up six runs (five earned) on six hits while striking out three in his one inning on the mound.

The Roadrunners return home to resume Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play when they host Regis (8-17) in a four-game series, starting on Friday.

While Strain is content with the Roadrunners' decisive victory, he already has his sights set on the next series with the Rangers.

"Overall, (it's) a good win," Strain said. "It's just one game. We're happy to continue the winning streak, and then, we just got to be ready to go against Regis on Friday."

Friday's first pitch against the Rangers at Regency Athletic Complex is scheduled for 6 p.m.