DENVER – MSU Denver got another strong starting pitching effort and closer
Eric Cox tied the program record for career saves as the Roadrunners earned a series win over New Mexico Highlands on Sunday with a 9-6 victory at the Assembly Athletic Complex.
Right-hander
Josh Thompson (1-0) made his first start of the season and took a one-hit shutout into the sixth inning before leaving with the bases loaded and an 8-0 lead. All three runs scored and were charged to Thompson, but he nonetheless left a strong impression.
"He's got really good stuff and he's always been capable of this," MSU Denver coach
Ryan Strain said. "He got a chance this weekend to show what he could do, and he went out and put some zeroes on the board for us."
MSU Denver won three of four in the series to improve to 16-10 overall and 7-5 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Highlands dropped to 5-19 and 3-9.
Highlands wound up scoring four in the sixth and two in the eighth to pull within 9-6.
But, with two outs and the tying run at the plate, Strain turned to Cox, who delivered his fourth save of the season – a four-out effort that gives him 14 career saves.
Cox, who allowed one hit and struck out two, joined Eric Cummings (2001 through 2002) and Cale O'Donnell (2016 through 2018) atop MSU Denver's career saves list.
Cox had also closed out a 6-1 Saturday win in a non-save situation before being pressed into service Sunday.
"I always feel really good when he goes in there, and I was hoping he wouldn't have to go in today, but it got tight," said Strain, who then laughed and added, 'before the game, he said next time he wanted the game to be a little closer so he could get some more adrenaline going. I told him after the game, 'Let's not say that again.' That was a little too close for me."
Offensively, MSU Denver got seven of its nine RBIs from the Nos. 7 and 9 spots in the order, as No. 9 hitter
Keegan Vialpando plated the game's first three runs with a bases-clearing double in the second inning, and
Blake Mattey launched a three-run homer in the fifth that made it 8-0.
"We really couldn't get locked in all weekend," Strain said. "It was probably our worst offensive weekend, even though we scored quite a few runs. The bottom of the order had some big hits for us today. If we didn't have those two swings, it obviously would have been a much different game."
