DENVER — MSU Denver Roadrunners baseball delivered one of their most dramatic days of the season Saturday, walking off both games of a doubleheader to take three out of four games against the University of Mary Marauders and improve to 16-6 overall and 4-0 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play at the Assembly Athletic Complex.
MSU Denver erased late deficits in both contests, including an improbable comeback from an 8-0 hole in the nightcap, to secure the sweep in thrilling fashion.
Game One: MSU Denver 11, Mary 10
The Roadrunners needed late-game heroics to claim the opener, rallying for an 11-10 walk-off victory.
Mary struck first, but MSU Denver answered in the second inning when Blake Wilson tied the game with an RBI triple to center. Moments later, Alek Martinez followed with an infield RBI single to give the Roadrunners a 2-1 lead.
After Mary surged ahead, the Roadrunners battled back throughout the middle innings. Noah Wicks blasted his team-leading fifth home run of the season to trim the deficit before Lathen Buzard delivered the biggest swing of the game to that point, launching a three-run homer in the sixth inning to even the score at 6-6.
MSU Denver later took a 9-6 lead, highlighted by a Wicks RBI double and a sacrifice fly from Buzard. Mary responded again with a four-run eighth to reclaim a 10-9 advantage.
Down to their final inning, the Roadrunners answered once more. Royce Vandine tied the game with an RBI single up the middle, bringing home Wicks. Moments later, Wilson lined a walk-off single down the left-field line, scoring Buzard and sealing the dramatic win.
Buzard led the offense, going 2-for-4 with four RBIs and three runs, while Wicks finished 2-for-3 with three runs, a home run, a double and two RBIs. Wilson added two hits, two RBIs and the walk-off knock, while Jared Swarbrick also recorded two hits and two runs.
On the mound, Carter Swan (2-1) earned the win in relief for MSU Denver.
Game Two: MSU Denver 9, Mary 8
Mary jumped out to an 8-0 lead, putting the Roadrunners in a massive early hole. MSU Denver began chipping away in the fourth when Michael Deitz launched a solo home run to center to get the Roadrunners on the board.
Deitz struck again in the fifth, crushing his second homer of the game to cut the deficit to 8-3.
The comeback gained momentum in the sixth inning when Wilson blasted a two-run homer to pull MSU Denver within three. Buzard followed later with a two-RBI double, trimming the deficit to just one run at 8-7.
After holding Mary scoreless in the ninth, the Roadrunners stepped to the plate down to their final out. Buzard delivered again, launching a two-run walk-off home run to complete the stunning comeback and secure the sweep.
Buzard finished 2-for-5 with four RBIs, including the game-winning blast, while Deitz powered the offense with a two-homer, three-RBI performance. Wicks reached base repeatedly, going 2-for-3 with three runs and three walks, while Wilson added a key home run and two RBIs.
Brooks Rasmussen went 1-4 at the plate and extended his hitting streak to 17 games, and his on-base streak to 22 games, both the longest for a Roadrunner this season.
Alek Martinez picked up his first win of the season on the mound, after striking out the side in a bases-loaded jam that would prove pivotal later on in the game for the Roadrunners.
Together, Buzard, Deitz and Wilson drove in all nine runs for the Roadrunners in the nightcap.
With the sweep, MSU Denver extended its winning momentum and will look to continue its strong start to conference play as the series with Mary concludes this weekend in Denver.
