DENVER – Even in a doubleheader split, MSU Denver started getting itself back on track last weekend.
 
The Roadrunners made big strides on Sunday at Colorado Mesa, with a hard-fought split that came one day after they had lost back-to-back games on walkoff homers after being in position to win.
 
MSU Denver, 25-12 overall and 21-5 for second in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, will look to continue building upon that this weekend in a four-game series at Colorado School of Mines (15-20 overall, but also 14-12 for fifth place). Doubleheaders are scheduled for noon Friday and 11 a.m. Saturday.
 
"Losing two games like that is hard," MSU Denver coach Annie Van Wetzinga said of Saturday. "But as a team and coaching staff, we didn't feel like we necessarily brought our 'A' game that day. Kudos to Mesa … they took better advantage of their opportunities, and their pitchers came up with big pitches when they needed them.
 
"But we were much better Sunday. On Saturday, we looked like we were hoping things would happen. We attacked on Sunday, and you could see that right away in game one. In the second game, both teams played well. I liked the way we competed, and the other team competed, too. It was a hard-fought game, and we lost. Sometimes that happens. The feeling from that loss was a lot different than the day before."
 
In Mines, the Roadrunners expect to see more of the same. The Orediggers went toe-to-toe with first-place Colorado Christian four weekends ago, and won three of four at Chadron State (a team MSU Denver won three of four against at home), among other outcomes.
 
"They'll be tough," Van Wetzinga said. "Regardless of their record, Mines is always competitive and scrappy. They'll never stop working hard. If you don't show up, if you're not ready to work hard and compete, they'll beat you."
 
Mines pitcher Sadriena Rodriguez, a left-hander, is 8-2 overall and ranks third in the RMAC with a 2.23 ERA. In league games she's fourth with a 2.42 ERA and has struck out 89 in 75 1/3 innings.
 
"She's having a nice year," Van Wetzinga said. "Facing a left-hander is different, the way they spin the ball and the way it cuts. I don't think it's as big of a deal in softball as it is in baseball, but it is different. But it's just like every other tough pitcher, you try to figure out what she's doing and make adjustments, then grind out at-bats."
 
One of MSU Denver's top pitchers all season has been Jenna Medhus, who is 9-2 and fourth in the RMAC with a 2.36 ERA. In league play, though, Medhus has added another dimension: not only is she third in league games with a 1.60 ERA, she's also been a red-hot hitter, with a league-best .517 average (15-for-29). Overall she's up to .360 for the season and is tied for third on the team with five homers despite having just 50 at-bats.
 
"She was trying to do too much for a while, getting a little big at the plate," Van Wetzinga said. "We're not shocked. We know she can hit. It was just a matter of her relaxing a little bit."