DENVER – After its record-breaking 21-game winning streak came to a close after two losses to CSU Pueblo last week, the MSU Denver softball team rebounded in a big way to come away with back-to-back victories over UCCS on Friday.
 
"It was tough," first baseman Miah Hartvigsen said on having to sit on those two losses for a week. "We knew we didn't play to our abilities. It was not a great weekend, but this week at practice we worked on getting sharper and to bounce back."

Hartvigsen crushed a pair of second-game homers, including a walkoff two-run shot for a 5-3 victory. MSU Denver won the opener 7-0.
 
"We were way sharper today," MSU Denver coach Annie Van Wetzinga said. "Obviously our pitching and defense were better than last weekend. I'm happy that even though the runs didn't come early and often, we stayed in the game."
 
In game one of the doubleheader, neither team found a run through the first four innings. Sophomore pitcher Jenna Medhus was dealing from the circle for the Roadrunners, giving up just two hits through five innings. 
 
MSU Denver finally tacked on two runs in the fifth. After Miki Berg singled to center and after Medhus walked, Van Wetzinga brought in Genevieve Bower to pinch hit and the sophomore catcher came through with a two-run single. 
 
Then the Red and Blue added five more runs in the seventh inning thanks to RBIs from Shelby Robb, Berg, Aaliyah Arellano, Geist and Trish Leins. 
 
Medhus earned her eighth victory in the 7-0 game one victory, while freshman Natalie Romero pitched the final two innings giving up zero earned runs on one hit to earn her third save in 2024.
 
While the offense came from many different names in game one, Hartvigsen carried the load in game two going 3-for-4, crushing two home runs and driving in four of the teams five runs in the 5-3 win. 
 
Her second home run of the game and her fourth of the season was a walk-off shot that ended the contest with a final of 5-3. 
 
"There was only one out, so I knew I just had to put the ball in play," Hartvigsen said. "Right before the pitch came in, I told myself to keep my hands high, to try to hit a line drive and it happened to go out. It was an awesome feeling."
 
When asked about how Hartvigsen's senior season was going, Van Wetzinga got a little emotional talking about her veteran first baseman. 
 
"Miah is doing great," Van Wetzinga said. "She's so mature. She just loves to play. You see her play with joy, which is nice. She is a joy to coach." 
 
Hartvigsen's parents, who hail from Utah, were in the crowd for their daughter's big day and Hartvigsen was happy to put on that type of performance.
 
"Not very often," Hartvigsen said about how often they come out to see her. "But since it is my senior year, they are coming out a lot more to home games and it's great having them here. They're the best supporters I have and I wouldn't be here without them."
 
The Roadrunners will finish off their four-game series with the Mountain Lions tomorrow Saturday with a doubleheader starting at 3 p.m.
 
"I'd like to see us hit some balls hard earlier," Van Wetzinga said. "We also need to work together offensively. We can't have a hit, then an infield pop-up. We need to learn how to connect at bats a little bit better, make the pitcher work a little bit harder."