DENVER – Having already lost in a disappointing first game and seeing a second-game lead shrink, MSU Denver coach Annie Van Wetzinga turned to senior pitcher Darby McGhee.
 
And Darby delivered.
 
McGhee got the final 10 outs while surrendering only two hits in a 4-3 victory over Fort Hays State (Kan.) on Tuesday, helping the Roadrunners to a split after a 4-0 loss in the opening game.
 
"We were in a tight spot there and Darby came in and did what you would expect a senior to do," Van Wetzinga said. "She came in and got us out of it and she kept them in check."
 
MSU Denver (14-6) had taken a 4-0 lead in the second game, but Fort Hays State (14-14) rallied in the top of the fourth, scoring three runs and putting two runners on base with two outs.
 
Then Van Wetzinga summoned McGhee, the program's all-time leader in strikeouts and saves who also became MSU Denver's all-time leader in pitching appearances with 129 on Tuesday.
 
"I was just trying to get outs," McGhee said. "Everyone was just trying to get outs and finish the game. We had the game won, so we didn't want it to get any harder."
 
McGhee (8-2) earned her 51^st career win, third on MSU Denver's all-time list.
 
The early damage for the Roadrunners included an RBI single by Rebecca Gonzales in a two-run first inning, and then a two-run third that included an Olivia Dampier homer and a run-scoring double by Mackenzie Jamieson.
 
"I needed that," Dampier said of the homer. "I was getting ahead of myself and trying too hard. I was trying to run before I hit the ball.
 
"It felt very good. Almost like it didn't even hit the bat. It was a nice relief."
 
Dampier batted .593 (16-for-27) over the previous nine games before going 0-for-4 in the opener. The Roadrunners managed just six hits in the first game.
 
"We've talked about it a lot, and it's nothing to do with the pitchers and it's everything to do with us," Dampier said. "Our team sometimes, it's not that we're not ready to hit, it's that we're over-ready to hit. We get too excited and everyone wants to do something for the team. Sometimes we need to calm down and take it one thing at a time.
 
"I do it, too. I want to get a hit for my team, and I try too hard."
 
Destinee Lopez, 3-0 with one save last week, held Fort Hays State to one run through five innings, but the Tigers got two in the sixth and another in the seventh.
 
"Destinee wasn't sharp, but she battled," Van Wetzinga said. "That's a very senior type of performance. She kept us in the game, and I would have liked to see more plays made around her. She was battling, and we need everyone around her to battle, whether it's hitting or defense.
 
"We had two mature performances by Darby and Destinee."
 
Though dissatisfied with a home split, the Roadrunners are looking forward to getting back into Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play this weekend with a four-game series at UCCS.
 
"You never want to lose one at home, but it was nice that we bounced back and got the second one," Dampier said. "At least we walked out at 1-1. We didn't have a good start, but we had a better second one."
 
Said Van Wetzinga: "You want to take two at home and be more consistent. But we know what the big picture is, and we don't want to lose sight of that. And these mid-week games, especially non-conference games, are opportunities to try a couple of different things and get some looks for other players who are working hard and being good teammates."