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Metro splits with Lopers
Pitching improves, only allows 6 runs
By Eric Lansing
lansing@mscd.edu

Metro’s baseball team finally got some excellent pitching as they split a two-game series April 5 against Nebraska-Kearney at Auraria Field.

After giving up 63 runs in four games against CSU-Pueblo a week earlier, the pitching combined to give up only six runs in the two games.

“They did a really good job,” Metro assistant head coach Danny Schwab said. “(Armando Casas) came in and did exactly what he needed to do. (Matt Backes) came in and got the win. Braden obviously did well only allowing three runs, throwing a complete game. They all did well, and I’m proud of them.”

The one win ended a five-game losing streak, including a 3-2 loss earlier in the day to the Lopers.

Metro mustered up only two hits in the first game and scored two runs – both unearned – off an error and a wild pitch.

Metro cut the Lopers’ lead to one in the bottom of the fifth when D.J. Edwards scored on an error by Kearney pitcher Peter Schleifer, putting the score at 2-1. Metro center fielder Kyle Bowman registered a single in the fifth inning, which was the first Metro hit in the game.

Kearney starting pitcher Ryan Wrobel began the game for the Lopers but got hit in the chest after Jake Palmer drilled a pitch back at Wrobel, ending his day. Wrobel is one of the conference’s top pitchers and came into the game with a 5-2 record and a 2.74 earned run average.

Schleifer came in and ended Metro’s hopes of facing an easier pitcher as he went seven innings giving up one hit and one unearned run and, striking out eight batters. The Loper’s Cody Hovdestad came into the ninth inning to finish the game.

The Roadrunners looked to rally as left fielder Jake Palmer came through with a single to left field to start the bottom of the ninth inning. Palmer moved to third on consecutive groundouts and then scored after Hovdstad threw a pitch that got away from Lopers catcher Griff Watson that brought home Palmer to inch the ’Runners one run closer to 3-2. But the rally came up short when second baseman Dakota Nahm flied out in foul territory.

In the second game of the doubleheader on April 5, Metro starting pitcher Ted Jamison got the nod and got beat up in the first two innings. The right-handed freshman gave up three earned runs on three hits, walking four Lopers.

“(Jamison) struggled to begin the game and he’s been struggling with his command,” Schwab said. “But he’s still learning, and these upperclassmen really bailed him out.”

It looked like it was going to be another long day for Metro pitching, as they have had no luck this season in bringing in relief pitchers to keep the games close. Pierce brought in pitcher Armando Casas in the top of the third inning.

It proved to be a great move as Casas went on to pitch 6.2 innings, giving up zero runs on four hits and striking out four. During those 6.2 innings, the Roadrunners scored two runs to tie the game at three, heading into the final inning.

Casas began the ninth inning for Metro and allowed the Lopers to put men on base. Shortstop Tyler Keeble reached base on a fielder’s choice and later advanced to third on a Hull single.

With two outs and men on the corners, Metro pitcher Matt Backes came in and got outfielder Chris Gillaspy to fly out to center field, ending the Loper’s scoring threat.

“It felt good,” Casas said. “I had to come in and give our team a spark since we lost the first game. It was good for me, it was good for our team. It gave our team a big boost.”

Metro failed to score in the bottom of the ninth inning, but Backes got all three of the batters he faced to ground out in the top of the 10th inning.

In the bottom of the 10th with one out recorded, Palmer walked and Bowers singled to left field. After Metro outfielder Nick Columbia flied out, Edwards came to the plate and hit one to Loper’s shortstop Joe Gonzales, who committed an error, allowing Palmer to score all the way from second base, giving Metro the 4-3 win in extra innings.

The third and fourth games of the series were cancelled due to inclement weather, and it hasn’t been decided if those games will be made up.

Schwab was torn about the weather cancellations because after winning game two, he wanted his team to continue their great play.

“I didn’t know how to feel about it,” Schwab said. “I kind of thought about the rest side of it, but we got that win. Our pitching was doing really well, we were hitting the ball pretty well, and you’d like to get that roll started and keep it going, allowing it to snowball a little bit.”

The split puts Metro’s record at 7-25 with a 5-16 record in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
Metro plays Dixie State April 12 at Auraria Field before taking on the Colorado School of Mines for a four-games series April 13 through 15 in Golden.