GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – MSU Denver got the pitching performance it needed and just enough offense on Wednesday to defeat CSU-Pueblo 4-2 in the first round of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference baseball tournament.
 
"We'll take it," MSU Denver coach Ryan Strain said. "This time of year, as long as you score one more run than they do, you'll take it."
 
The third-seeded Roadrunners (32-19) advance to a second-round game in the double-elimination tournament at 7 p.m. Thursday against fifth-seeded Colorado School of Mines (33-17).
 
In one of the biggest starts of his career, MSU Denver senior right-hander Austin Stone turned in one of his best-ever performances, allowing two runs (both unearned) on five hits in seven solid innings. Stone (5-1) walked one and struck out five while posting his 16^th career victory, sixth-best all-time at MSU Denver.
 
"He was really good," Strain said. "He got the pitches he needed to get, and he executed his pitches. The strike zone was really consistent, which was good for the pitchers and led to a good baseball game."
 
Strain then turned to the best closer in program history for the final two innings, and Eric Cox – named All-RMAC first team earlier in the day – was his usual overpowering self. After hitting the first batter he faced on his first pitch, Cox proceeded to retire the next six batters in order, striking out three, to finish it.
 
"We've had some situations this year where we were maybe trying to squeeze another inning out of a pitcher when we've got the best reliever in the league down there in our bullpen," Strain said. "In the regular season, you've got to be smart about how you use your pitchers, but it's different in the postseason. Pueblo had their 2, 3 and 4 hitters coming up in the eighth, and it would have been their fourth time up against Stone. So there were a lot of reasons to go to Cox there."
 
It was the seventh save of the season for Cox (tying a career high that is also the fifth best in program history) and increased his program-record career total to 17. Cox is 3-0 with a 1.63 ERA this season and has a streak of 15 consecutive scoreless innings.
 
Meanwhile, the Roadrunners got their offensive work done early, scoring single runs in each of the first two innings and then two more in the fourth.
 
MSU Denver strung together three first-inning singles for the first run, which was driven in by Zach Schuler, and only strong wind on a long Bill Ralston fly out appeared to prevent a home run in the middle of the rally.
 
In the second inning, Tanner Garner walked, stole second base, moved to third on a ground out and scored on a Cody Schultz double.
 
And in the fourth, Caleb Albaugh walked and then scored on Ralston's double.
 
"The wind really had an impact for us on the offensive side," Strain said. "We had some great at-bats the first four innings – really hit some balls hard that were right at them or were affected by the wind. And they made some nice catches at the fence on some of those.
 
"And early in the innings in the fifth and sixth innings we had some good at-bats, but they weren't as good later in the innings, or in the seventh and the eighth."
 
Still, a win is a win, and MSU Denver needs all it can get as it attempts to reach the NCAA Tournament's South Central Regional as either the RMAC Tournament champion or potentially as an at-large selection if it can make a deep run this weekend.
 
Next up is Mines on Thursday.
 
"Hopefully the wind isn't blowing like it was today," Strain said. "And we need to swing better and pitch the same."