DENVER – A tough first-game loss didn't disappoint the MSU Denver softball team.
After St. Mary's (Texas) scored all six of its runs in the seventh and final inning of the opener to defeat the Roadrunners 6-5, MSU Denver mashed 13 hits – six of them for extra bases – and ended the nightcap with a 12-2 victory in a game shortened to five innings by the eight-run rule.
"It happens sometimes," MSU Denver coach
Annie Van Wetzinga said of the first-game setback. "But the way our defense had played, the at-bats our team was having, the energy we were getting … there were a ton of positives from that game. And at that point, that's what you focus on. I was super proud, after a tough loss like that, with how we responded."
Doing major damage in the second game was catcher
Jaiden Geist, who doubled, triple and homered while driving in six runs. The game ended before she was able to get a fourth at-bat while needing only a single to hit for the cycle.
The outburst was just a matter of time for Geist, the slugger who had started the season just 3-for-23.
"It definitely hasn't been the start the I wanted," Geist said. "But I've been trusting myself. I knew it was going to come, I just had to be patient. That's the case for a lot of us – we're just waiting for our bats to get going. And we're going to be fine, we just have to see a few more pitchers and get more comfortable in the box.
"I'm glad I was able to figure it out this game and help my team."
Geist's RBI total is tied for the fifth highest in a single game in program history, and is two short of the school record of eight. It's the first six-RBI game for a Roadrunner since Sarena Espinoza drove in seven in a game against Black Hills State on April 16, 2018.
"She's been close," Van Wetzinga said. "I know, for her, it's got to feel good to have a breakout game like that."
Genevieve Bower had two hits in each game and is batting a team-best .500 (11-for-22), while
Miah Hartvigsen and
Miki Berg each had two second-game hits.
Shelby Robb homered in the first game as MSU Denver built a 5-0 lead through six innings. Freshman
Natalie Romero took a six-hit shutout into the final inning.
"Natalie battled and did a great job, she was just kind of running out of gas at the end," Van Wetzinga said.
The Roadrunners finished the weekend 3-2, going 2-1 against St. Mary's and splitting a doubleheader with St. Edward's (Texas), and are now 5-5 after playing high-caliber non-conference competition.
MSU Denver opens league play with a four-game home series against Black Hills State.
"We're really excited to go into conference play," Geist said. "It's always fun to play these Texas teams. It helps us in the regional rankings, and sometimes it's just better competition. Doing what we've done really gives us a good outlook on how conference is going to go for us, and we just need to keep building on that."
Said Van Wetzinga: "Obviously there are some that got away. That's the way the game is sometimes. All our games have been against good competition. I'm excited for this group, because we need that.
"Do we feel like we could have a better record? Sure. But just about everybody in the country probably feels that way. So we're focusing on how we ended this weekend, and we've had significant growth from the first weekend to the second weekend."
