DENVER – The Metropolitan State University of Denver baseball team encountered a rare struggle Sunday afternoon at the Regency Athletic Complex.

The Roadrunners just couldn't get hits to drop.

MSU Denver (25-11, 18-6 and 2^nd Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) managed just four base hits in a 10-1 loss to Dixie State (25-13, 15-9 and T-4^th RMAC) in the series finale, giving the two schools a split in the four-game series.

"To come out and play the way that we did is tough," MSU Denver coach Ryan Strain said following the game. "We still beat a good baseball team twice. It's just disappointing that you don't finish them off at home on Sunday when you've got some momentum and you just kind of let the momentum get away from you."

Starting pitcher Branden Dehority got all but one out for the Roadrunners, going 8 2/3 innings with nine strikeouts and no walks. And while Dehority did give up seven earned runs, his final line didn't tell a very accurate story of his solid start.

"I thought (Dehority) did a really good job today," Strain said. "He competed. That's one of his best outings he's had. That's why I was so disappointed we wasted an outing like that. To have an outing like that on a Sunday, when usually runs are scored in the RMAC, was really good. It was encouraging to see him come and throw that well. I'm just disappointed it got away from us there at the end with two outs."

Dehority (2-1) gave up four runs through eight innings, but did a good job limiting damage as the MSU Denver offense sputtered. An RBI single made it 1-0 in favor of Dixie State in the second inning. The Trailblazers added two more in the fourth, one on an RBI single and the second on a steal of home before the Roadrunners caught a Trailblazer in a rundown between first base and second base.

A sacrifice fly made it 4-0 Dixie State in the sixth, but the Trailblazers were by no means slugging their way through the game.

MSU Denver finally found some offensive life in the seventh, as Jake Kistaitis followed a long foul fly down the left field line with a no-doubt dinger to left-center. It was Kistaitis' seventh homer of the season as he extended his streak of consecutive games with at least one RBI to seven. Kistaitis continued his incredibly solid play at first base as well – the senior is errorless in 60 total chances in MSU Denver's last two series.

The score remained 4-1 into the ninth after Dehority struck out the side in the eighth. The right-hander encountered some trouble with two outs in the ninth, however, and exited with MSU Denver trailing 5-1 as Nick Ulmer entered to get the final out.

A little bit of bad luck combined with a wild pitch and a passed ball took things from bad to worse for the Roadrunners, as Dixie State tacked on five more runs to put the game out of reach. Seven earned runs were charged to Dehority when all was said and done.

Zach Paschke, Chase Anderson and Matt Malkin – the No. 1 through No. 3 spots in the MSU Denver batting order – were the only three Roadrunners to tally base hits in addition to Kistaitis as the offense struggled. Anderson added a walk, and the No. 5 spot in the order contributed three walks (two for Zach Walsh and one for Jimmy Holinger), but that was about it for MSU Denver baserunners.

"We basically went away from what our strength's been, and that's been staying in the middle of the field and (hitting) the ball where it's pitched," Strain said. "We've just got to go back to doing that. We'll be fine. These guys will bounce back. I think they understand how poorly they played today and cost themselves a little bit. We've got to regroup. In baseball you've got to be ready for the next day. On Thursday we've got to be ready to go."

The Roadrunners will have a short week of practice before heading to Colorado Springs, Colo., for a four-game series at UCCS (23-15, 15-9 and T-4^th RMAC) Thursday through Saturday.

"We need to have a really good week of practice," the skipper stated. "We need to get back to work a little bit offensively."

Thursday's game in Colorado Springs will take place at Security Service Field, the home of the Milwaukee Brewers' rookie affiliate Rocky Mountain Vibes, as part of the Vibes' STEM Day. First pitch is set for noon MDT Thursday. A noon doubleheader will follow Friday before a single game at noon on Saturday, with the final three games of the series scheduled to be played at UCCS' home facility, Mountain Lion Park.