COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – MSU Denver's offensive onslaught is ongoing after the Roadrunners scored 35 runs Saturday while sweeping a doubleheader at UCCS 19-14 and 16-2.
The first game was a back-and-forth affair that went nine innings, two more than scheduled.
"It was really a good day for the offense," MSU Denver coach
Ryan Strain said. "When you score 35 runs in two games, that's really good. We swung the bats well, had a lot of hard-hit balls and extra-base hits. The guys continued to swing the bats, and even when we gave up runs, they continued to battle in the first game. And the second game they kept it going."
While winning the first three games of the series, the Roadrunners have scored 60 runs.
In Saturday's lidlifter, MSU Denver picked up where it left off after scoring 25 runs in a single game Friday, scoring seven in the top of the first.
But the Roadrunners trailed 10-7 after three, tied it 10-10 in the top of the fourth, fell back behind 11-10, took a 14-11 lead with four in the sixth, but then gave up two in the sixth and another in the seventh to go to extra innings tied 14-14.
MSU Denver (19-10 overall, 10-5 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) then scored five in the ninth on a
Ross Smith homer, an RBI triple by
Cam Yuran, a run-scoring single by
Blake Mattey and a two-run homer by
Colin Stone.
In the second game, though trailing 2-1 after the first, MSU Denver quickly put an end to any thoughts of a dramatic finish by scoring three in the second, two in the third, six in the fifth and four in the sixth.
Stone was 4-for-4 with three doubles, a triple and five RBIs (making him 6-for-6 with five extra-base hits and seven RBIs for the day),
Zach Schuler was 3-for-4 with a double, a triple, a homer and three RBIs, and
Chase Anderson hit two homers while driving in three runs.
In addition to Stone's ridiculous numbers, MSU Denver got equally video game-like two-game totals from Mattey (5-for-8, two doubles, one homer, six RBIs) and Yuran (5-for-7, two doubles, two triples). Smith merely homered in each game.
Meanwhile on the mound,
Austin Stone (2-1), Colin's brother, quelled UCCS, allowing only the two first-inning runs on six hits while striking out six in six innings.
Closer
Eric Cox got the win in the opener with 3 2/3 innings of work, allowing one run on three hits, as the last of five pitchers.
"That was a really good job by Stoney," Strain said. "We needed that. We needed a start where we wouldn't have to go into the bullpen very much, especially after Cox had probably the longest outing of his career in the first game to help us win that."
The Roadrunners' 60-run outburst over three games is the program's highest total in three consecutive games since putting up 62 against Colorado Christian on March 5-6, 2010.
But MSU Denver is just hoping to get one run more than UCCS in Sunday's noon season finale as it attempts to complete a four-game sweep.
"They're going to be ready to go tomorrow," Strain said. "They've got a good arm going for them, so we're going to need to be ready to play well."
