COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – MSU Denver closed out the regular season with a Saturday split against UCCS, falling in game one before bouncing back in a dominant game two victory to secure the No. 3 seed in the upcoming RMAC Tournament.
The Roadrunners finish the regular season at 35-19 overall and 28-16 in RMAC play, with the tournament set to begin Thursday.
GAME ONE: UCCS 10, MSU Denver 2 (5 innings)
MSU Denver jumped out early, but UCCS responded with a big middle inning to take control and secure a run-rule win in the opener.
Neila Fee provided the early spark for the Roadrunners, launching a two-run home run in the first inning to give MSU Denver a 2-0 lead. Fee finished 1-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored, while Cheyenne Prieto reached base consistently, going 1-for-1 with a run and two walks.
Despite the fast start, momentum quickly shifted as UCCS answered and capitalized in the middle innings, turning the game with a multi-run surge that put the Roadrunners in a hole they couldn't recover from. MSU Denver struggled to generate offense the rest of the way as the Mountain Lions pulled away to end the game in five innings.
GAME TWO: MSU Denver 12, UCCS 4
The Roadrunners responded in a big way in game two, using a pair of explosive innings to cruise to a 12-4 victory and lock up the No. 3 seed in the RMAC Tournament.
MSU Denver wasted no time getting on the board, as Fee delivered an RBI single in the first inning to take an early lead. After UCCS tied the game, the Roadrunners regained control in the second inning, using patience at the plate with bases-loaded walks from Trinity Kennemer and Cheyenne Prieto, followed by an RBI single from Shay Cwelich to build a 4-1 advantage.
The turning point came in the fourth inning, when MSU Denver broke the game open. Fee highlighted the rally with a grand slam, and Neila Lucero followed with a solo home run to push the lead to 9-1.
UCCS attempted to chip away, scoring twice in the fourth and adding a solo home run in the fifth to make it 9-4, but the Roadrunners never let the momentum shift. MSU Denver added insurance in the seventh, as Janessa Esquibel drove in a run with an RBI single before Brooklyn Enny capped the scoring with a two-run home run to make it 12-4.
Offensively, the Roadrunners were powered by Fee, who went 3-for-5 with five RBIs, including the grand slam. Cwelich added three hits, while Lucero, Esquibel, Enny, and Victoria Pearson each recorded multi-hit games in a 16-hit performance.
In the circle, Samantha Mader earned the win, improving to 6-3 after allowing four runs on four hits across five innings of work. Natalie Romero closed the door with two scoreless innings, giving up just two hits to seal the victory.
With the split, MSU Denver heads into the RMAC Tournament with momentum after a strong offensive showing in the regular season finale.
