By: Nash Loibl, Advanced Graduate Assistant / Strategic Communications

The Mountain Lions will face top-seeded Colorado Christian University at noon MT on Friday, while the Roadrunners are set to battle Colorado State University Pueblo at 2:30 p.m. Both semifinal matchups will be played at All-Star Park in Lakewood, the home field of Colorado Christian.

Quarterfinal Recaps

UCCS came out swinging from the first pitch, plating three runs in the opening frame behind scores from Jennavieve Goldsworth, Alyssa Gutierrez, and Gianna Pancost. Backed by a strong performance in the circle from Autumn Kunze, the Mountain Lions also locked down defensively, holding Colorado Mesa scoreless through the first inning.

The Mountain Lions continued to apply pressure in the second inning when Laynee Case crossed home plate on an Alyssa Gutierrez sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 4-0. However, Colorado Mesa answered in the bottom half of the inning, as TK Landes launched a solo home run over the left-field fence to put the Mavericks on the board.

The score remained 4-1 through the next two innings as both teams settled in defensively. Pancost finally broke the scoring drought in the fifth inning, scoring on a sacrifice fly from Tayler McCombs to give UCCS a 5-1 advantage.

Colorado Mesa responded with a rally of its own in the bottom of the fifth, trimming the deficit as Molli Magaña and Cailynn Parsons each came around to score. The Mountain Lions added an insurance run later in the game when Goldsworth scored on an unearned run opportunity, extending the lead once again.

Facing elimination, the Mavericks mounted one final comeback attempt. Ava Stephens scored in the sixth inning before Makayla Westmoreland crossed the plate in the seventh, cutting the deficit to just one run. With runners on second and third and two outs recorded, Colorado Mesa threatened to complete the rally, but the game ended when the Mavericks popped out to third base, sealing the Mountain Lions’ victory.
 

#3 MSU Denver def. #6 Colorado School of Mines, 9-1
LAKEWOOD, Colo. – The Metropolitan State University of Denver Roadrunners cruised past the Colorado School of Mines Orediggers, punching their ticket to the semifinals of the RMAC Championship.

MSU Denver wasted little time establishing control, striking first when Neila Fee singled to left field to bring home Trinity Kennemer in the opening inning. The Roadrunners continued to build momentum in the second, as Janessa Esquibel launched a solo home run to right-center field before Victoria Pearson drove in Natalie Shellhorn to extend the lead to 3-0.

Colorado School of Mines recorded its lone run of the game in the third inning, when Kylie Bickford crossed the plate on an unearned run opportunity.

From there, the Roadrunner offense exploded. Esquibel added another run, while Brooklyn Enny and Neila Lucero delivered back-to-back home runs to break the game open. Lexi Gephart, Pearson, and Kennemer also crossed home plate during the scoring surge, helping MSU Denver build a commanding 9-1 advantage.

While the offense dominated at the plate, Natalie Romero was equally impressive in the circle. The right-hander tossed a complete game, allowing just four hits while facing 22 batters. Romero also accounted for eight outs directly from the circle and improved to 15-9 on the season with the victory.

About the RMAC
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, headquartered in Colorado Springs, is a premier NCAA Division II conference with 15 institutions located in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Utah. The RMAC currently competes in 22 NCAA Division II sports and has earned 67 national championships and 53 national runners-up since 1992. Founded in 1909, the RMAC is the most historic athletic conference in the western United States and Division II.

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