GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Late-inning momentum swung heavily in favor of top-seeded Colorado Mesa University on Friday night as the Mavericks pulled away from MSU Denver for a 10-2 victory in the third round of the RMAC Tournament.
The Roadrunners fell to 38-15 overall with the loss and will now face Colorado School of Mines at 1 p.m. Saturday with a spot in the tournament championship round still on the line later in the day against Colorado Mesa.
For much of the night, the Roadrunners matched the nation's top-ranked team pitch for pitch before a decisive seventh inning shifted the momentum permanently toward the Mavericks.
Right-hander Sam Coffman delivered a strong start for MSU Denver despite taking the loss, moving to 3-3 on the season. Coffman worked six innings, allowing four runs — three earned — on nine hits while striking out three and battling through several high-pressure situations to keep the Roadrunners within striking distance.
Colorado Mesa struck first in the fourth inning on an RBI single, but MSU Denver answered immediately in the bottom half of the inning.
Michael Deitz sparked the response with a solo home run to left field, knotting the game at 1-1. Later in the inning, Brooks Rasmussen delivered an RBI single that plated Brayden Oram to give the Roadrunners a brief 2-1 advantage.
Deitz finished 1-for-4 with the home run, one RBI and one run scored, while Rasmussen went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Jared Swarbrick paced the MSU Denver offense with a 3-for-5 performance, and Noah Wicks added a hit and a walk while reaching base twice.
The Mavericks tied the game in the fifth inning after Kolby Felix doubled and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly.
The turning point came in the seventh inning. Colorado Mesa opened the frame with back-to-back hits before taking the lead on a wild pitch. An RBI single from Kennedy Hara and aggressive baserunning helped the Mavericks extend the advantage to 5-2, ending Coffman's night and giving the tournament's top seed control for good.
MSU Denver threatened in the bottom of the seventh after Swarbrick singled and Wicks was hit by a pitch, but Colorado Mesa escaped the jam with a strikeout to strand two runners.
The Roadrunners will now turn its attention to Saturday afternoon's elimination matchup against Colorado School of Mines as the Roadrunners look to fight their way back into the RMAC Tournament championship round.
