DENVER – An MSU Denver team that hasn't been at its best away from the Regency Athletic Complex is hoping to amend that this weekend.
 
The Roadrunners are set to play their first true four-game road series of the season when they play doubleheaders Saturday and Sunday at Adams State.
 
Despite a difficult home schedule that has included six games with nationally-ranked teams (West Texas A&M and Colorado Mesa) and four more with a returning Division II regional qualifier and the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's first-place team (Colorado Christian), Metropolitan State University of Denver has put together a 12-13 record on its home turf.
 
Away from home, whether in neutral-site or true road games, the Roadrunners are 3-6.
 
MSU Denver (15-19 overall, 10-8 and sixth in the RMAC) will play Adams State (6-25, 6-13 and 10^th) in doubleheaders at noon Saturday and 11 a.m. Sunday.
 
"They're not at the top of the standings, but we're going to Alamosa, and it's a tough place to play," MSU Denver coach Annie Van Wetzinga said. "Everyone is more comfortable at home.
 
"And it's more about us than it is about who we are playing. We're at the college level, and everybody has players who can beat you. If you're not at your best, teams will take advantage of that. We need to come ready to compete."
 
MSU Denver's only true road games have been as part of a weekend pod at New Mexico Highlands. The Roadrunners split two games with the Cowgirls, who are 6-13 and 5-8.
 
The loss was part of a difficult eight-game losing streak that included six losses to ranked teams. But the Roadrunners have won four of their last six games, capped by a solid 3-2 win over Colorado Christian on Tuesday.
 
"We need these wins (at Adams State)," said freshman outfielder Kassi Reiger (Loveland, Colo./Loveland), who had the game-winning RBI against the Cougars. "After (beating Colorado Christian), it gives us confidence going into this weekend. It'll be a good time for us to play as a team, put together good at-bats, score a lot of runs, and help out our pitchers."
 
National leaders in doubles at 2.55 per game, MSU Denver's extra-base hit crew has been led by Darby McGhee (Camarillo, Calif./Adolfo Camarillo) and Rebecca Gonzales (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Mountain Vista), who rank 1-2 in the RMAC with 16 and 14, respectively. McGhee is second nationally in doubles, while Gonzales is tied for fourth.
 
Gonzales, tied for the national lead for doubles by a freshman, is riding a five-game multi-hit streak in which she has gone 12-for-18 (.667) with four doubles and four RBIs, including a walk-off double in a 3-2, eight-inning win over Colorado State University-Pueblo this past Sunday.
 
"She's holding her own," Van Wetzinga said. "She was scuffling a little bit (the previous) week and we moved her down in the lineup to take some pressure off her. And she worked through some things at practice, and we talked about relaxing and not pressing as much."
 
Now that the team has regrouped, it's time to take it to the road.
 
"We've had a lot of obstacles, facing good teams and good pitching," Reiger said. "(Tuesday) it seemed like we were seeing the ball better and were more relaxed at the plate."