EMPORIA, Kan. – Reichle Aricilise was dominant with a seven-inning, complete-game, one-hit shutout with 12 strikeouts, and the MSU Denver offense kept the hit parade going in the second game as the Roadrunners swept a doubleheader Sunday at Emporia State.
 
The Roadrunners (5-3) won the opener 7-0 and the second game 9-7.
 
In the opener, the only hit against Arcilise was a slow roller down the third base line in the second inning. Arcilise also issued walks in the second and sixth innings, but those were the only baserunners against the right-hander. His 12 strikeouts were two short of the program's single-game record record 14 set by Logan Soole in the 2018 season.
 
In three starts this season, Arcilise (2-1) has a 2.37 ERA with 29 strikeouts and only three walks in 19 innings while holding opponents to a .149 batting average.
 
"Reichle set the tone and really gave us a chance to get going," MSU Denver coach Ryan Strain said. "The only hit was a cheap on, just a slow roller. He was in complete control pretty much the whole time. They never really got any good swings off him and there was never a time where you thought they would do any damage against him."
 
Arcilise got plenty of support from Zach Schuler, who was 2-for-4 with four RBIs and Caleb Albaugh, who was 3-for-4 with two RBIs.
 
Schuler hit a two-run homer in the fourth for the game's first runs and a two-run double in the seventh to wrap up the scoring. Schuler was 3-for-4 in the second game for a 5-for-8 day.
 
"He was good in both games," Strain said. "He just missed another homer, hit the ball off the top of the fence. The first four in our lineup, the three returning players (Chase Anderson, Albaugh and Bill Ralston), plus Ross Smith, have been really good and we've needed more production in the 5 and 6 spots. It was nice to have Schuler step up and swing well behind those guys."
 
Anderson led off the second game with a homer, and though Emporia State scored three in the bottom of the first inning, MSU Denver rallied for four in the second on an RBI single by Albaugh, a run-scoring double by Ralston and a two-run homer by Smith.
 
MSU Denver built the lead to 9-4 in the sixth, but Emporia State struck for three in the eighth to make it close.
 
Closer Eric Cox pitched a clean ninth for his second save of the season. He now has 12 career saves, tied for third in program history.
 
"He did a nice job," Strain said. "When you're in control for the whole game and you wind up having to use your closer, it's a little unnerving. I had to tell our guys it's OK to just finish a team off."
 
Albaugh was also 5-for-8 for MSU Denver, which wraps up the series with another doubleheader Monday that begins at 11 a.m. MST. Once again, the games are scheduled to be a seven-inning opener followed by a nine-inning nightcap, unless the first game goes to extra innings, which would make the second game a seven-inning affair.