LAKEWOOD, Colo. – Jake Williams homered in each game and Logan Soole backed up his pitcher of the week performance with five more shutout innings Thursday as No. 21 MSU Denver swept a doubleheader at Colorado Christian, 11-0 and 11-5.
 
"Today was a good day," MSU Denver coach Ryan Strain said. "We played well."
 
MSU Denver improved to 30-8 overall – its first 30-win season since 2008 – and to 26-8 for second place in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
 
Williams, who came into the game third in the RMAC in homers, mashed No. 13 with a runner on base in the fourth inning of the opener to make it 8-0, then added No. 14 – again with one runner on – in the third inning of the second game to put the Roadrunners ahead 4-3.
 
Williams tied Tyree Abshire (2009), Jim Cluck (1991) and Doug Montgomery (1987) for seventh on the Roadrunners' all-time single-season home run chart. One more puts him tied for third in program history.
 
"Jake Williams had a great day for us, along with some other guys," Strain said. "We had some big at-bats when we needed them."
 
Soole, one of those Roadrunners who had a 15-homer season (2019), has been starring strictly on the mound these days, and one day after being named South Central Region Pitcher of the Week (which came one day after being named RMAC Pitcher of the Week), the left-hander tossed another gem, allowing three hits and three walks while striking out six in five shutout innings.
 
Soole (4-0) took over the RMAC lead in ERA at 2.63 while lowering his program-leading career ERA to 2.83.
 
"Logan pitched well, and then Tyler Schultz and Gabe Austin were able to come in and finish off the shutout," Strain said. "They all threw the ball really well."
 
Like Williams, Cade Peters also had a homer and two RBIs in the opener, while Caleb Albaugh went 3-for-4.
 
The second game was a little shakier, but Cade Crader improved to 7-1 while striking out six in five innings before Zach Sundine finished up with two scoreless innings. Crader has 81 strikeouts this season, already the fourth-highest single-season total in program history.
 
"Cade didn't have the stuff he normally does, but he kept making pitches and got through it," Strain said. "And then Sundine came in and pitched well after not pitching in a long time, threw it really well."
 
MSU Denver trailed 5-4 after four innings, but erupted for six in the fifth, tying the game when Williams was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, adding another run on an error, another when Alex Gonzales walked with the bases loaded, and two more on a Jake Barber single.
 
Williams scored three and drove in three, while Chase Anderson, Bill Ralston and Owen Reynolds all had two-hit games.
 
"We were able to take care of business today, and now we've got to prepare and get ready for tomorrow and Saturday," Strain said.