DENVER – In the third inning of the second game of MSU Denver's baseball doubleheader against Emporia State on Saturday, it seemed that momentum was going the Roadrunners' way for the first time in the 2020 season.

After falling 5-2 in Saturday's opener, MSU Denver led 6-1 in the nightcap after hitting two – nearly three – home runs in the third inning, the first real offensive explosion of the year from the boys in Red & Blue.

But the Roadrunners (0-6) managed just one hit from that point forward in the seven-inning game, eventually suffering defeat by a 9-6 score after the Hornets (6-2) responded with a big inning of their own in the fourth.

"When you score runs, you've got to put zeros up the next inning," MSU Denver coach Ryan Strain said following the twinbill. "We can't keep beating ourselves. When you get your opportunities and you get a lead like that, you've got to slam the door."

After scoring two runs in the ninth inning of game one on a Chase Anderson homer, offensive life seemed within reach for the Roadrunners. Anderson was in the middle of the attack again in game two, hitting another two-run jack in the third inning to put MSU Denver up 4-1. Cade Peters then settled for a double after nearly going back-to-back with Anderson, but Zach Walsh took care of business with a two-run dinger to make it 6-1.

Unfortunately, that lead was short-lived.

A string of Emporia State hits in the next half-inning produced a six-run rally for the Hornets, giving them a 7-6 lead. They added two insurance runs in the sixth as the MSU Denver offense again sputtered.

"We're going to have to start swinging the bats better," Strain said. "We were in games, we just couldn't give ourselves a chance. We've got to swing the bats better, that's just the bottom line."

The Roadrunners tallied 10 hits in Saturday's opener, but that didn't translate to runs on the scoreboard till the ninth inning. Gannon Reiswig got the loss, but went five innings strong with five strikeouts while giving up just two earned runs and walking three. Reiswig has a solid 3.86 ERA through two starts this season, striking out 10 batters in 9 1/3 innings pitched.

While seven hits led to six runs on the scoreboard for MSU Denver in the second game, the Hornets got the best of the Roadrunners in one big inning to escape the Regency Athletic Complex with two wins before another doubleheader between the two squads on Sunday at 11 a.m. MST.

Anderson, an All-RMAC second team selection in 2019, was 3-for-7 in the doubleheader with four RBIs and two walks. Cade Peters also had three hits on Saturday, while Zach Walsh was 1-for-2 with two runs scored, two RBIs and two walks in game two.

Peters leads the Roadrunners in hitting after six games with a .350 clip, while Anderson's three homers and six RBIs are both tops on the team.

Austin Stone started game two and struck out seven Hornets in 3 1/3 innings pitched, giving up six earned runs.