DENVER – The MSU Denver pitching staff allowed only six hits Saturday in a doubleheader sweep of Chadron State, helping the Roadrunners extend their winning streak to 14 games.
 
"We preach to our pitchers, 'Hit your spots, feed it to your defense,'" Van Wetzinga said. "We have a solid defense – we're athletic and can run a lot of balls down. It's nice to see that our pitchers are doing that for the most part, and our defense was sharp."
 
Jenna Medhus took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before settling for a 3-1, complete-game victory in the opener, then Cheyenne Prieto escaped a bases-loaded jam after coming on in relief in the third inning of the nightcap, a game the Roadrunners eventually pulled away to win 8-0 in five innings.
 
Now 17-6 overall, the Roadrunners' 14-0 start to Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play matches the best for the program since it also won 14 straight league games to open the 2017 RMAC schedule. And those 14-game winning streaks are MSU Denver's best since the 2010 team – which went 53-6 overall and reached the national championship semifinals – had a school-record 17-game streak.
 
"It kind of blows my mind, because it doesn't feel like it," left fielder Alexia Boring said. "But we've been able to dig through tough innings against tough competition. We want to keep the momentum going. Our team knows how to get through tough situations. It's just a matter of trusting ourselves and continuing to work."
 
Said Van Wetzinga: "The thing our team is doing a great job at is just worrying about the next thing in front of you. Don't worry about something that's already happened, don't worry about what's going to happen, just worry about the moment in front of you."
 
Case in point was Saturday's first game, when the Roadrunners' hitters had a bit of trouble pinpointing where the outer reaches of the strike zone was.
 
But the first of Jaiden Geist's three hits was a second-inning RBI double, and then Boring blasted her team-best fifth homer of the season – a two-run shot – to make it 3-0 in the third.
 
"You weren't sure what you were going to get, so once I had a strike called, I just dug in, saw the best pitch possible and drove it," Boring said. "You have to make sure it doesn't affect you. And when you do see a good pitch, you have to take advantage of it."
 
Medhus, a true freshman, didn't need to stretch the zone horizontally while striking out seven and improving to 8-2. She was in pursuit of the program's 12^th no-hitter, and first since 2018, before giving up a leadoff double in the sixth that was just over the outstretched glove of right fielder Katie Maney.
 
"In the outfield, it gets a little boring," Boring said. "I had one ball hit to me. But it's really reassuring knowing that our pitchers can get the job done, produce the ground balls and let the defense work."
 
Said Van Wetzinga: "It was efficient. Nothing overpowering or that will make you turn your head, but she keeps throwing up zeroes, keeping teams off balance and giving our defense the chance to make plays."
 
Chadron State's lone run in the opener came on a seventh-inning homer.
 
MSU Denver jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second game, but Chadron State (6-15, 4-10) loaded the bases with one out in the third, and Van Wetzinga called upon Prieto, who promptly induced a snappy 6-4-3 double play started by shortstop Hannah DiFabio.
 
"I just came in and did my job and let our defense take care of it," Prieto said. "I just did my best to do whatever I could to help us get out of the inning, and Hannah turned a great double play."
 
Prieto, another true freshman, improved to 3-0 by working 2 2/3 scoreless innings.
 
"She's grown so much this year," Van Wetzinga said. "Freshman year in the circle can be tough. Coming on in relief, usually you need outs and don't have time to settle in. She's really starting to figure things out, which is awesome to see. She's a competitor and she's really resilient, which is a great attribute to have as a pitcher."
 
For the season, Prieto now has a 2.14 ERA. In league play, she's at 0.76, allowing only two earned runs in 18 1/3 innings.
 
"I started of the season not the greatest," Prieto said. "And I wanted to come into RMAC play with a vengeance. I wanted to attack hitters like I know that I can. And when I let my defense take care of it, I don't have to do as much work."
 
MSU Denver ended the second game with four runs in the bottom of the fifth to force the eight-run rule, a rally that included Prieto's two-run single that made it 6-0. It was just her second hit (in five at-bats) of the season.
 
"Honestly, I was kind of just swinging," Prieto said, laughing. "I didn't know what was going on there. I saw something and I just hit it."
 
The series concludes with an 11 a.m. doubleheader Sunday.