HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State scored three fourth-inning runs to break a 1-1 tie and then held on for a 4-3 victory over MSU Denver on Friday in a season-opening college baseball game.
The Roadrunners had eight hits, including the first career homer by
Cody Schultz, but struck out 11 times.
"Overall, I'm disappointed with the way we played offensively," Metropolitan State University of Denver coach
Ryan Strain said. "I thought we were really timid early on. I don't know if it was nerves or what it was, but we just didn't swing the bats the way we're capable.
"Eleven punchouts isn't good, especially considering how hard we've worked on putting the ball in play and having competitive at-bats. That's going to be an important part of our season this year, and to come out and not do that was disappointing."
Austin Stone took the loss after giving up four runs in three innings, then relievers
Carter Akerfelds and
Conner Nantkes combined for five scoreless, one-hit innings to keep the Roadrunners in the game.
"I thought our pitchers did a really nice job," Strain said. "Stone had some weird things happen to him in the inning they scored three runs, but he threw the ball really well for the most part and our bullpen obviously came in and did a really nice job."
Spencer Gendreau delivered a game-tying RBI double in the fourth inning for MSU Denver to make it 1-1. And Schultz hit his two-run homer in the fifth for the game's final runs.
The series continues with an 11 a.m. MDT doubleheader.
"We're going to need another pitching performance like that and we're going to have to swing the bats a heck of a lot better than we did today to give ourselves a chance to win," Strain said. "Hopefully we'll come back and get after them the way we're supposed to tomorrow."
