DENVER – Despite a solid start from sophomore
Austin Stone (Arvada, Colo./Faith Christian) on the hill and a ninth-inning rally sparked by a leadoff homer from
Matt Malkin (Broomfield, Colo./Monarch), the Metropolitan State University of Denver baseball team ended up on the wrong side of its conference season opener with CSU-Pueblo by a 3-2 count on Friday afternoon.
"You can't ask for much more from the defensive side and the pitching side," MSU Denver coach
Ryan Strain said Friday following the game. "We've got to scratch and claw and get better at-bats out of our hitters, especially in those middle innings."
After a double from freshman
Zach Paschke (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Mountain Vista) to lead off the game, the Roadrunners didn't come up with another hit until
Cade Peters' (Stockton, Calif./St. Mary's) double in the bottom of the seventh. Paschke came around to score on an error in the first to give MSU Denver (6-6, 0-1 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) a 1-0 lead, but the offense went silent for the next six innings.
Stone retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced, but a single by Gilbert Sauceda and a homer by Dakota Popham in the top of the fourth gave CSU-Pueblo (6-7, 1-0 RMAC) a 2-1 lead. Sauceda later drove a solo homer to right field in the top of the sixth to extend the ThunderWolves' lead to 3-1.
Stone's day was done after six quality innings of four-hit and three-run ball. He walked one and struck out three, maintaining his season ERA at a solid 3.32.
CSU-Pueblo starting pitcher Beau Brieske dueled Stone with eight strong innings, surrendering just three hits and striking out 10 while giving up one unearned run. When Andrew Coverly replaced Brieske in the ninth, MSU Denver took advantage.
Trailing 3-1 and needing a rally, the Roadrunners' biggest power threat so far this season stepped to the plate in the form of
Matt Malkin (Broomfield, Colo./Monarch). The senior catcher smoked the first pitch he saw off the scoreboard in deep right-center, inching MSU Denver closer. The tying run came to the plate in
Jake Kistaitis (Omaha, Neb./Millard West), who promptly singled on Coverly's second pitch of the day.
Peters laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to move pinch-runner
Eric Cox (Aurora, Colo./Cherokee Trail) over to second base, and
Draven Adame (Lamar, Colo./Lamar) was hit by a pitch after a strikeout from
Chase Anderson (Littleton, Colo./Columbine).
Zach Walsh (Austin, Texas/Vista Ridge) stepped up as MSU Denver's last chance and grounded out to second base to end the rally and the game.
"To get that kind of pitching performance and not find a way to scratch some runs across was difficult," Strain said. "In the biggest moments, our best players have to step up. We had our chance and just couldn't come through there at the end. Both teams played well. We just came up short."
Malkin now has five homers and 17 RBIs on the season to lead the Roadrunners in both categories. He's also slugging a Ruthian .762 to lead the Roadrunners. Adame got on base thrice on Friday, adding two walks along with a hit-by-pitch.
Stone fell to 1-2 on the season with the loss.
TJ Egloff (Brighton, Colo./Brighton) relieved with three scoreless innings of no-hit ball.
The Roadrunners will have a chance for revenge tomorrow, as a doubleheader with CSU-Pueblo is scheduled for 1 p.m. MT at the Regency Athletic Complex.
