DENVER – MSU Denver continued to mash on Friday, opening a four-game series at rival Regis with a 17-11 victory that wasn't as close as the final score indicated.
 
Behind homers by Ross Smith, Zach Schuler, Tanner Garner and Colin Stone, the Roadrunners (28-15 overall, 17-8 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) built leads of 6-2 after two innings, 14-3 after 6 ½ and 17-5 after 7 ½ innings.
 
"The guys really felt good about how they were swinging in our scrimmages Friday and Saturday (MSU Denver had last weekend off), and batting practice all week has been good," MSU Denver coach Ryan Strain said. "With our lineup, we feel good about our ability to have good at-bats and compete."
 
The Roadrunners took charge with a five-run second inning, as Cam Yuran tied the game 2-2 with an RBI double before Garner put MSU Denver ahead to stay with a two-run homer. Cody Schultz added a run-scoring triple, and Smith chipped in an RBI single.
 
Smith's 16^th homer of the season, a two-run shot, made it 8-3 in the fourth. Smith now ranks fourth on MSU Denver's single-season home run list, trailing Matt Malkin (25 in 2019), teammate Bill Ralston (18 this season) and Jordan Stouffer (17 in 2010).
 
Schuler's solo shot made it 9-3 in the sixth, and then the Roadrunners tacked on five more in the seventh on Stone's homer, Smith's run-scoring double, Yuran's RBI double and Chase Anderson's two-run double.
 
Pitcher Austin Stone, Colin's older brother, turned in a strong start, allowing three runs through six innings before departing with two runners on base after 6 2/3. Both runners eventually scored and were charged to Stone, masking what was a highly effective outing.
 
"He threw the ball really well," Strain said. "The runs he gave up were on ground balls with eyes – he made some good pitches down and the ball just found spots. He pitched well and commanded the zone. He got us off to the right start for the weekend."
 
Schultz, Smith, Schuler, Yuran and Colin Stone all had three hits. Smith drove in four runs, while Yuran and Anderson each knocked in three.
 
Garner and Colin Stone, MSU Denver's Nos. 8 and 9 hitters, were a combined 5-for-11 and are batting .339 and .388, respectively, for the season. Garner has seven homers this season, and Stone has four.
 
"Our 8- and 9-hole hitters both had home runs," Strain said. "We have a tough lineup to get through. The bottom of our order is not a typical bottom of the order. We have really good players down there, and then they turn the lineup back over for us."
 
The top of the order is Schultz, who extended his hitting streak to 11 games and is batting .548 during that stretch (23-for-42) and .441 for the season (30-for-68).

"It helps when your leadoff guy is doing that," Strain said. "And he's a great baserunner. He's just a pest when he gets on base. He's a problem for other team once he gets on."
 
The series continues with a today at Regis Baseball Field, with a doubleheader scheduled to start at noon.