CHADRON, Neb. – MSU Denver used a back-breaking rally in the first game to seize momentum and run away with the second game, defeating Chadron State softball 5-3 and 10-1 in RMAC doubleheader action from Chadron on Sunday.

Chadron State led all throughout game one, but MSU Denver scored five unearned runs with two outs in the top of the seventh inning to stun the Eagles, then scored early and often to end game two after six innings with the run rule. 

The wins complete a four-game sweep for MSU Denver, which is now 20-7 overall and 16-3 in conference play. Chadron State is now 9-17 with a 5-15 record in the RMAC. 

Tori Haug got dealt a tough-luck loss in the circle during game one. The right-hander pitched a complete game without allowing an earned run and held the Roadrunners to just three hits through the game's first six innings. Haug walked four and struck out five across her outing. 

The Eagles led 2-0 after just three batters when Aliyah Rothstein led off the bottom of the first with a bunt single and Lauren Zimmerman hit a one-out, two-run home run, Zimmerman's eighth of the season. 

Chadron State was able to add on in the fifth, with Rothstein drawing a leadoff walk and ending up on second base with two outs. Cleanup hitter Ashland Baca delivered with an opposite-field single to right, scoring the speedy Rothstein and giving Haug a 3-0 advantage. 

Haug stranded the bases loaded in the fifth and retired the Roadrunners in order in the sixth. In the seventh and final inning, Haug allowed the first two baserunners to reach, but recovered with two emphatic strikeouts before issuing a walk to load the bases with two outs. Jaiden Geist hit a sharp grounder to short that seemed destined to end the game, but Angelina Quezada couldn't field it cleanly, allowing one run to score and every runner to move up 90 feet. 

With the game extended, Roadrunners cleanup hitter Jenna Medhus, who had left the yard twice on day one of the doubleheader, seized the opportunity and crushed a tide-turning grand slam to right center field, putting MSU Denver up 5-3 with all runs unearned. The Eagles were unable to answer in the bottom of the inning, giving the Roadrunners an improbable comeback victory. 

The Roadrunners, who will be in either first or second place in the RMAC depending on final results from the weekend, didn't need a comeback in game two. MSU Denver scored once in the second inning and three runs in each of the third, fifth and sixth innings to reach their 10-run total. 

On the mound, Cheyenne Prieto pitched a gem for the Roadrunners. She didn't allow a hit for the first 4.2 innings and ultimately allowed just one run on two hits for the game. Prieto battled command with six walks, including three drawn by Brogan Allen, but made up for it with six strikeouts. 

The Eagles strung their two hits together to score their only run of game two, with a single from Rothstein and an RBI double from J'lyssa Martinez coming back-to-back with two outs in the fifth inning. Needing to score at least twice to extend the game in the bottom of the sixth, Chadron State put two runners on base with nobody out after back-to-back walks, but Prieto retired the next three Eagles. 

The schedule remains difficult for the Eagles next weekend, as CSC travels to face league-leading Colorado Christian on the road. First pitch is currently set for Saturday at 12 p.m. The Eagles are home next against Regis on Saturday, March 29.