Metro State’s clutch hitting and Christie Robinson’s pitching are sending the Roadrunners to the Division II College Softball World Series. Metro scored five runs in the ninth inning to beat Wayne State (Neb.) 6-2 on Saturday and win the Central Super Regional championship at Auraria Field.
Amber Roundtree was hit by a pitch with one out in the ninth and scored on Sarah Rusch’s RBI double. Tara Mickelson followed with a two-run home run, and the Roadrunners added two insurance runs. Robinson loaded the bases in the bottom of the frame but gave up only one run to improve to 28-2.
Kofstad qualifies for NCAAs.
University of Denver golfer Espen Kofstad qualified for the NCAA Championship, but the Colorado State team failed to rally and didn’t advance from the NCAA West Regional at Gold Mountain Golf Club in Bremerton, Wash.
Kofstad, who qualified for the regional as an individual, shot a 1-under-par 71 in the final round to finish in third place at 5-under 211, three strokes behind medalist Richard Lee of Washington, the regional host that won the team title.
The Huskies won with a 20-under 864. Colorado State, which was in second place after the first round, shot a 4-over 292 Saturday to finish at 17-over 881, four strokes behind fifth-place Illinois, the last team qualifier.
Wyoming’s Gabe Maier had his best round of the regional, a 71, to finish at 4-over 220, in a tie for 24th.
Kofstad advances to the NCAA Championship, June 1-6 at The Honors Course in Chattanooga, Tenn.
• Seniors Tom Whitney of Air Force and Justin Bardgett of Colorado wrapped up their collegiate careers at the NCAA Southwest Regional at Carlton Oaks G.C. in Santee, Calif. Whitney shot a 4-over 76 in the final round to finish at 10-over 226, in a tie for 39th place. Bardgett finished in a tie for 49th after his third straight 76 put him at 12-over. Nick Delio of Cal State-Northridge was medalist at 3-under 213.
Bears get blowout win in regular-season finale.
Northern Colorado (32-22, 22-6 GWC), which had already clinched the No. 2 seed for this week’s Great West Conference Tournament, hit six home runs in a 30-11 win over Chicago State (4-49, 2-26) in Greeley.
The 30 runs was a season high, and the six homers brought the Bears’ season total to 78, a school record. Catcher Seth Budde had three of the home runs, tying the UNC single-game record held by five others. Budde had six RBIs, but he was outdone by shortstop Tony Crudo, who drove in nine with three doubles and a homer. Jarod Berggren extended his school-record hitting streak to 38 games, while T.J. Berge advanced his to 25 games.
• Senior first baseman Addison Gentry closed his collegiate career at Air Force in style, hitting a two-run home run in the eighth inning to key the Falcons’ (13-42, 3-20 Mountain West) 22-19 win over BYU (25-29, 12-12) at Falcon Field.
Gentry’s blast into a heavy crosswind broke an 18-18 tie. BYU got a run in the ninth before Sean Carley (3-5) struck out the side to seal the win. Carley struck out six in three innings of relief.
