RAPID CITY, S.D. - The MSU Denver Roadrunners dropped Monday afternoon's contest to the Augustana Vikings by a score of 13-10 in extra innings.
The Roadrunners fall to 9-13 overall on the season, while the Vikings improve to 11-6.
Andrew Biddle and Andrew Graham led the offense for the Red and Blue, each tallying three hits. Biddle hit his first homer of the season with a leadoff shot in the bottom of the first. He drove in four runs on the day and also had a walk. Graham came around to score three times and had two RBIs, which came in the bottom of the ninth, when he hit a game-tying two-run homer to send the game into extras.
Erubiel Ortiz (2-for-5), Jesse Velder (2-for-6), and River Jackson (2-for-4) all recorded multi-hit games for the Roadrunners.
Cam Yuran went 1-for-4 with two walks, two runs, and an RBI. It is the 15th consecutive game in which he has reached base safely. He has reached base in all but two games this season and has drawn 17 walks in the past nine games.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Augustana, playing as the away team in this one, grabbed the first lead of the game with two runs in the first inning off an RBI triple and a fielder's choice. The Roadrunners responded in the bottom half with Biddle's leadoff home run to right field, his first big fly thus far this season.
The Vikings repeated the first inning the following frame, with another two runs to go up 4-1 on MSU Denver. Jackson knocked in Yuran with an RBI double to give the Roadrunners their second run of the game. A few batters later, Biddle tied the game at four with another base hit to the right side of the field, this time a two-RBI single.
Trailing 7-4 headed into the bottom half of the sixth, the Roadrunners were able to cut the deficit to just one run after scoring on a fielder's choice, followed up with another Biddle RBI hit, this time a double into right center.
Augustana extended their lead back to four runs after scoring three in the top half of the ninth, making it more challenging for the Roadrunners for a comeback win.
With two outs, Velder laced an RBI triple to bring home Ortiz for the first Roadrunners run of the inning. Yuran then brought Velder home the next at-bat with a single to left, making it a 10-8 game.
Graham came up to the plate and blasted a two-run home run to the opposite field to tie the game at 10, forcing this one into extra innings.
The Vikings' bats continued to stay hot, putting up another three runs in the tenth while blanking MSU Denver in the bottom half for a 13-10 win, taking the rubber match.
UP NEXT
Head coach Ryan Strain and his squad will be back in action at home this weekend for a four-game series with Colorado School of Mines, beginning Friday at 3 p.m. MT.
