GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Jayden Murray pitched 7 1/3 shutout innings and combined with Brecken Lewis on a six-hit shutout Thursday night as Dixie State defeated MSU Denver 10-0 in a second-round game at the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament.
Metropolitan State University of Denver, 1-1 in the double-elimination event, now plays 22
nd- and 29
th-ranked Colorado School of Mines in a 3 p.m. elimination game Friday. The Roadrunners (28-23) beat Mines 10-9 in Wednesday's first round.
Dixie State (35-17) plays top-seeded host Colorado Mesa (42-9), ranked Nos. 4 and 1 nationally, at 11 a.m. Friday in the winner's bracket final. The winner of the MSU Denver-Mines game plays the Dixie State-Mesa loser Friday at 7 p.m.
Mines is 36-12.
After erupting for 17 hits Wednesday, the Roadrunners couldn't get anything going against Murray (10-3), the All-RMAC second-team selection who walked one and struck out 10. MSU Denver won a regular-season game that Murray started on April 12, getting six runs – five earned – on 10 hits, with three walks and four strikeouts in a 4 1/3-inning no-decision.
"He was pretty good," MSU Denver coach
Ryan Strain said. "We had chances early. The first two innings we had guys in scoring position and just couldn't get them in.
"Down 1-0, we had some tough breaks and then we gave up four two-out hits and all of a sudden the game went from 1-0 or 2-0 to 6-0."
While Murray was sharper Thursday, the Trailblazers' offense supported him with a run in the first inning before adding five in the second and three in the third.
"In these types of games, you have to go pitch-for-pitch with them," Strain said. "They were throwing one of the top arms in the league and we weren't able to match them. And it's tough to win games when you don't. In two games here we've given up 19 earned runs. If you don't pitch well, it makes it difficult against good teams."
Aaron Germani was 2-for-4 to account for one third of the MSU Denver hit total. The senior outfielder is 4-for-6 in the tournament.
The Roadrunners' bullpen remains relatively well-rested, thanks in large part to senior
Hunter Hogoboom, who provided four innings of relief, allowing just one run on four hits with no walks while matching a career-high with five strikeouts. Hogoboom had pitched just eight innings this season and hadn't had an outing of more than two innings.
"I was happy for him," Strain said. "He's a senior and he got in there and pitched well, and allowed us not to not have to use anybody else. He did a nice job. Now we've got guys in the bullpen are ready to go tomorrow. We've got to win two games tomorrow."