DENVER – A little bit of everything came together in a positive way this weekend for the MSU Denver softball team, as the Roadrunners completed a four-game sweep of Regis on Saturday with wins of 8-2 and 7-5 at the Regency Athletic Complex.
 
"Last home weekend, Senior Day, and (Friday) was big, too, with Military Appreciation and there was a lot of excitement at the park," Metropolitan State University of Denver coach Annie Van Wetzinga said. "And it was nice that we did what we were supposed to do. You send your seniors out with a good vibe. You play hard for the fans who are here. You show your excitement and the appreciation you have to have a facility like this.
 
"Bigger picture, we're building towards the conference tournament so that we can go in there, wreck some things and win some games and see what happens."
 
MSU Denver wrapped up the regular season at 28-25, moving three games over .500 for the first time all year. The Roadrunners finished 1 ½ games behind fourth-place Colorado School of Mines in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference at 23-13.
 
The Roadrunners will face Mines (26-19, 25-12) in the first round of the double-elimination RMAC tournament on Thursday. The teams split a four-game series in Golden, Colo., last weekend. MSU Denver has won nine of its last 12 games.
 
On Saturday, for the second day in a row, Darby McGhee flirted with a no-hitter in the opening game, only to have it broken up by Regis' Carly Beard in the fifth inning. Beard hit a long single to break it up Saturday after spoiling Friday's gem with a double.
 
"I was thinking, 'I've got to get this girl this time,'" McGhee said with a laugh. "But it didn't happen."
 
So McGhee (12-11) merely had to settle for setting a school record.
 
She struck out the side in the third inning, and her second victim of the frame gave her 292 career strikeouts and moved her past Brittany Moss (2009-13) for the program record.
 
"I really didn't know I was that close to it until a week ago," said McGhee, who whose total now stands at 294 strikeouts. "It's exciting."
 
McGhee has fanned 115 this season, the third-highest single-season total in program history, and needs 18 more for that record.
 
"I get a couple a game, and some days more than others, but I don't consider myself a strikeout pitcher," McGhee said. "But I guess I get a decent amount."
 
Van Wetzinga said she's interested in seeing how far McGhee can push the record the rest of this season and all through next year.
 
"Breaking the record is very cool, and obviously she's just going to pile on to it," Van Wetzinga said.
 
"You know, because the program is actually still pretty young in terms of when it was brought back, maybe it isn't a real high number. But what's cool to me is that she's setting the standard. In my eyes, this is her record. She's setting the mark for whatever it will be, that's what everyone will be shooting for – her standard."
 
A three-run first inning, and homers from Abby Anderson in the second inning and Jasmine Wessel in the fifth, helped keep Regis (15-26, 12-23) at bay.
 
After giving up two fifth-inning runs, McGhee ceded the final two innings in the circle to senior Kylee Burnside. For the weekend McGhee earned two wins, allowing two runs on five hits in 10 innings while walking one and striking out 10.
 
Anderson was 5-for-11 for the weekend with four RBIs. Wessel, a senior, was 4-for-10.
 
In Saturday's second game, the Roadrunners put up five third-inning runs and held on.
 
Laney Sheppard hit a two-run homer to highlight the outburst – giving her a school-record of 11 by a freshman this season. Sheppard had shared the mark with Jennessa Tesone (2008), Molly Clark (2008), Chelsea Brew (2012) and Sarena Espinoza (2015).
 
Sheppard was 4-for-10 with four RBIs in the series. Fellow freshman Rebecca Gonzales, who had a walkoff RBI single in Friday's second game, went 4-for-14 with seven RBIs in the series. Freshman Ari Valdez was 5-for-9.

Megan Sansburn, who had four RBIs in Saturday's nightcap, completed the weekend at .700 (7-for-10) with five RBIs. She also drew four walks for an on-base percentage of .786 (11-for-14).
 
Meanwhile, senior Ashlee Kim went 4-for-6 and scored three runs on Saturday, giving her two hits in each of the games of the series (8-for-12) with four runs, three RBIs and two stolen bases. Over her last 12 games, Kim is hitting .465 (20-for-43) to raise her average from .276 to a season-high .327.
 
Besides Wessel, Kim and Burnside, injured seniors Celyn Whitt and Tes Hass were also recognized for their contributions during their careers on Saturday.
 
"It was a great day," Kim said. "This group of girls is just the best group that I've been with since I've been here. And seeing the support they've given me throughout this past year, and everything they've done, and realizing that it's finally coming to an end is really heartbreaking for me."