DENVER — MSU Denver split a tightly contested Saturday doubleheader with Colorado Christian at the Assembly Athletic Complex, taking game one in walk-off fashion before falling in another one-run battle in game two.
The Roadrunners, now 30-7 overall and 18-1 in RMAC play, saw their 16-game winning streak snapped in the nightcap after all three games in the series were decided by a single run.
GAME ONE: MSU Denver 4, Colorado Christian 3
MSU Denver wasted no time getting on the board, as Noah Wicks delivered an RBI single in the first inning to make it 1-0, followed shortly by Jared Swarbrick's RBI knock to extend the lead to 2-0. Colorado Christian battled back to tie things late, setting up a dramatic finish.
Brooks Rasmussen delivered the moment of the game with a walk-off RBI single up the middle in the seventh inning, sealing the 4-3 victory and extending the Roadrunners' winning streak to 16 games. Rasmussen went 2-for-4 with the game-winning hit, while Swarbrick finished 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.
On the mound, Carter Swan earned the win after tossing the seventh inning, allowing one hit and one earned run. Starter Alejandro Maltos-Garcia set the tone early, going four innings and allowing just one run on two hits to keep MSU Denver in control through the middle innings.
GAME TWO: Colorado Christian 7, MSU Denver 6
The nightcap turned into another back-and-forth thriller, but this time it was Colorado Christian that came out on top, scoring a go-ahead run in the eighth inning to secure the 7-6 win.
MSU Denver showed plenty of offensive firepower throughout the game. Royce Vandine led the charge with a near cycle, going 3-for-3 with two runs, two RBIs, a home run, triple, and a stolen base. Marques Abulhosn reached base four times, going 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two hit-by-pitches, while Jared Swarbrick added three hits and a run. Michael Deitz chipped in with two RBIs, including a key extra-base hit during a momentum-shifting third inning.
One of the biggest turning points came in the third, when the Roadrunners erased a deficit with a three-run frame highlighted by Deitz's two-RBI double and Vandine's RBI single to take a 5-4 lead. They regained the lead again in the fifth on Rasmussen's RBI single, but couldn't hold on late.
Colorado Christian tied the game in the seventh and then took the lead for good on a solo home run in the eighth. MSU Denver was unable to respond in the bottom half.
On the mound, Sam Coffman got the start and went 4.1 innings, allowing four runs while striking out three. The bullpen kept things close, but Joey Adge was tagged with the loss, falling to 0-1 on the season after surrendering the go-ahead run late. Colorado Christian's Caleb Perry earned the win in relief, improving to 2-5 after tossing three scoreless innings to close it out.
MSU Denver suffers their first RMAC loss of the season, but will look to win the series tomorrow afternoon against the Cougars.
