AUSTIN, Texas – St. Edward's softball split its doubleheader against Metropolitan State Denver in a home opener hosted away from home due to weather. 

The Hilltoppers got a dominant performance from pitcher CADIE BELLE CURRIE in a Game 1 win but left six runners stranded in a Game 2 loss. 

Game 1: St. Edward's 1, Metro State Denver 0

For a second consecutive game, CADIE BELLE CURRIE delivered a victory for St. Edward's softball in a classic pitcher's duel, this time besting Metropolitan State Denver's Audrey Burt in a 1-0 win.

Both pitchers retired the side in order with two strikeouts to open the first inning. Currie worked both sides of the plate with precision, throwing gas with fastballs located just under the hands of the Roadrunners' hitters on the inside corner of the plate, then working the outside corner. 

St. Edward's junior pitcher struck out five of the first seven hitters she faced, inducing one fly out to shallow right in the first, with a Roadrunner reaching on an error in the second. 

The Hilltoppers threatened in the second. RENNA TOOMEY pulled a one-out double down the left-field line, then advanced to third on YVONNE CASTILLO's groundout to short but was left stranded with a fly out to shallow right. 

Metro State broke up the no-hitter in the top of the third inning when Adriana Bueno hit a leadoff double top right-center, making the first solid contact on Currie of the game. Currie responded by freezing Katie Maney at the plate with a called third strike. Then, Kami Grammerstorf advanced Bueno to third with a fly out to right. However, ALEXIS MASSIE saved a run with a clutch defensive play at third, sliding to her knees to get to a grounder in the gap and popping up to her feet to beat the runner by a step on the throw to first for the force out to end the inning. 

The Roadrunners slipped up in the bottom of the inning with a throwing error on a grounder from ARIANNA VIDALES in the leadoff spot. MEGAN MORRIS found a gap between right and center field to put two on with one out to start the inning. GABI LOPEZ fought off a 1-2 count to draw a walk, loading the bases for Hutzler's sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Vidales. 

The lone run was all Currie needed. After retiring the side in order with two strikeouts in the fourth, Currie got into some trouble in the fifth. A leadoff single and an error put two on with no outs to start the inning. Next, Bueno grounded out, advancing the runners to second and third. However, Currie struck out Maney and induced a pop-up to first, ending the inning. 

Currie continued to get stronger over the final two pitches, mixing in some off-speed pitches to keep hitters off balance, retiring six of the last eight hitters to secure the complete-game shutout. 

Game 2: Metro State Denver 5, St. Edward's 3

The sun broke out of the clouds between the two games, and with it, so did the bats. 

Grammerstorf opened the game with a leadoff single to left-center off starting pitcher MCKENNA LEAMON, followed by Boring moving her to third with a sacrifice bunt. 

Burt drew a walk to put runners in the corners, and Hannah DiFabio drove in Metro State's first run of the day with an RBI double to left-center. Aaliyah drove in a second run on a groundout before the Hilltoppers got out of the inning. 

St. Edward's responded immediately, getting a leadoff infield single from Morris, who then stole second. Lopez followed with a frozen rope to right-center for the RBI triple, and KATIE DILLON laid down a perfect bunt for an RBI single to tie the game. 

Metro State scored a run each in the third and fourth innings. The Roadrunners got a leadoff single up the middle from Grammerstorf, who stole second base and was driven in on an RBI single up the middle from DiFabio. 

St. Edward's RENNA TOOMEY led the fifth inning off with a double to left-center and was driven in by LAUREN HOYT's RBI double to the same spot to pull within 4-3. 

KYLEN PADGETT took the pitcher's circle for Leamon to start the fifth. The first-year struggled with control, walking three, but also flashed potential, getting out of the inning unscathed. The Roadrunners managed a run in the sixth on a two-out RBI triple up the middle from Grammerstorf for the 5-3 lead. 

Castillo hit a two-out double in the sixth, and Hoyt followed with a walk, but Vidales went down swinging to end the inning. Both teams went three-up, and three-down in the seventh to end the game. 

St. Edward's finished the day 5-2 and will host Regis University in a doubleheader on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.