DENVER – For an inning Monday, the MSU Denver softball team showed a glimpse of the kind of offense it expects to be.
 
Trailing Colorado Mesa 10-1 in the fifth inning of the opening game, MSU Denver scored nine runs on seven hits in a stirring comeback that tied the game.
 
"The fight that we showed the first game was nice," MSU Denver coach Annie Van Wetzinga said.
 
But Colorado Mesa answered with a run in the sixth and held on for an 11-10 win, then beat the Roadrunners 13-2 in the second game to complete a four-game season-opening sweep in the matchup of two of the top three teams in the RMAC's preseason coaches' poll.
 
MSU Denver began the big rally – its biggest inning since an 11-run frame against Fort Lewis in a 20-5 win on April 14, 2019 – with a single by Olivia Dampier. Kassi Reiger reached on a fielder's choice on a play where both runners were safe, then Ari Valdez cashed in after a long at-bat with a two-run double down the left field line.
 
"Ari was a big spark for that inning, put together a really tough at-bat," Van Wetzinga said.
 
Kayla Banks also had a two-run double in the inning as MSU Denver had nine runs on seven hits.
 
But in 25 other innings in the series, the Roadrunners were only able to muster 17 hits.
 
"The second game, outside of the one inning, it was more of the same of what we saw over the course of the series," Van Wetzinga said. "We need to be able to create our own offense. We can't rely on the other team to have miscues and to capitalize. We're a good enough team that we can string things together and make things happen. But we have to have consistent at-bats to do that."
 
Freshman Shelby Robb starred in the opening series, batting .545 (6-for-11) while drawing two walks for a .615 on-base percentage.
 
"As a freshman, she's not scared," Van Wetzinga said. "Out of the four games, I thought she showed some of the best competitiveness and resiliency that we've had. We're moving her around (defensively). She's had to fill a lot of positions, starting in the fall when we had some injuries.
 
"Moving around like thaat, it's been tough for her to settle in defensively. But she's also been all over the place because she's someone who clearly needs to be on the field for us. Not only does she swing the bat well, we just like the way she plays the game."
 
Colorado Mesa, which won close decisions of 3-0 and 2-1 Sunday, got 26 hits on the Monday.
 
"I think it was a combination of too many stressful pitches on our pitchers yesterday when we didn't give them any offensive support – so many pitches for the first weekend – and then today they weren't as sharp and we gave them too many free passes and it killed us," Van Wetzinga said.