DENVER – MSU Denver pitching held the Chadron State offense scoreless in 13 out of 14 innings over the course of Sunday's doubleheader, helping the Roadrunners defeat CSC 6-5 and 3-0 to conclude a four-game series.
While the Eagles (4-25, 4-16 RMAC) made the first game interesting by scoring five runs in the sixth inning of game one to nearly erase a 6-0 deficit, the Roadrunners (23-7, 16-4 RMAC) maintained their advantage to take the overall series, three games to one.
Chadron State received offensive contributions from
Payton Sullivan (3-for-4 at the plate across both games) and
Brogan Allen (2-for-4 in game one) while five different Eagles drove home a run in the opening game's sixth inning.
Belle Akins starred in the circle, coming out of the bullpen in both contests in relief of both game one starter
Brynn Trujillo and game two starter
McKenna Sides. Across her two appearances, Akins threw five shutout innings, allowing just three hits while walking two and striking out four.
Game one on Sunday saw a starting pitching rematch of Saturday's pitcher's duel between Chadron State's
Brynn Trujillo and MSU Denver's Natalie Romero which finished 0-0 after seven innings before the Eagles won 3-0 in extras.
Trujillo couldn't keep the Roadrunners off the board this time, as RMAC batting average leader Cheyenne Prieto hit a two-run homer in the first to give MSU Denver a 2-0 lead three batters into the game. The Roadrunners tacked on with sacrifice flies in the third and fourth innings, followed by a two-run single later in the fourth to take a 6-0 lead as Trujillo was pulled after four complete innings of work.
With Akins steadying the ship in relief, Chadron State nearly mounted a comeback. With only two hits through five innings off Romero, the Eagles more than doubled that total with nobody out in the sixth as
Elizabeth Thorngren,
Brogan Allen and
Tiffani Mein all singled to load the bases.
Freshman
Brianna Cordray drew a walk to force in a run and put CSC on the board. After a fielder's choice in which the Roadrunners got a force out at home,
Katelynn Czerpak drove home a run with an infield single on a unique play. Czerpak hit a slow dribbler down the third base foul line which the MSU Denver third baseman picked up, only for the ball to be ruled fair and leaving the Roadrunners with no play.
MSU Denver made a pitching change to reliever Brooke Levin, but pinch-hitter
Payton Sullivan greeted the new hurler with a first-pitch opposite-field single to right. The Eagles went station-to-station again and one run scored, making it 6-3 with one out. After another bases-loaded walk drawn by
Charley Pitrat,
Macie Selfors reached on a fielder's choice that brought the Eagles with a run at 6-5.
Levin would settle down from there, retiring Thorngren to end the sixth and setting down the Eagles in order in the seventh inning to earn the save.
The Eagles wouldn't ever really challenge game two starter Kianna Butler offensively, managing five singles and failing to score.
Payton Sullivan had two hits while Pitrat, Thorngren and Czerpak all had one during the second game.
McKenna Sides started and gave up three runs on nine hits across her three-plus innings of work. Akins came on in relief with the bases loaded, nobody out and one run already in with the Eagles trailing 2-0 in the fourth inning.
Akins gave up a soft single that allowed one inherited runner to score, but other than that recorded two strikeouts and a foul out to get out of the jam. The Roadrunners managed only one hit off Akins in the fifth and sixth innings, but the Eagles couldn't find a late-inning rally like in previous games of the series.
Chadron State will return home next week to battle league-leading Colorado Christian (30-2, 20-0 RMAC).
